Game Of Fear
by YukiTenVianey Team
Summary: "Want to play?" The note reads, but they never got a choice. Now the characters stumble through a dimly lit labyrinth as they are forced to play the "Game of Fear", a sinister game that attempts to kill them each round in the most horrible ways. The only chance of escape is to finish the game, or die trying.
1. Let's Go Party!

_Before you start this story, we'll ad some quick warnings here._

_**1. -**____It's rated M for gore and unnecessary violence. So if you came here expecting lemons, you'll sure be disappointed._

_**2. -**____We don't pick the victims, they're chosen randomly._

_**3. -**____Of course it sounds like __**Saw**__! Except that the game rules are different and there's no hellish doll in a screen._

_That said, please read. A review would be nice._

**Chapter One**

**xX ****Let's Go Party! Xx**

"Hurry up!" Naruto urged, his voice muffled behind the fake muzzle he wore over his face.

"Shut up!" Sasuke frowned, trying to read the invitation. It wasn't an easy thing to do since it was dark out there.

**HALLOWEEN PARTY!**

**Tonight at midnight in Konoha's forest.**

**Food, drinks and music. Costume contest and more.**

**A special surprise awaits, so scary you will actually die of fright!**

The invitation read. How useful.

"Should be around here." Sasuke fixed the vampire cloak over his shoulders. "But I can't see anything."

"Look!" Sakura point to what appeared to be a small building on the distance. "I don't think I've ever seen that before."

"That's it!" Naruto ran towards it, the fox tail strapped to his pants bouncing behind him. "Hurry up, come on!"

Sakura ran alter him, holding the witch hat with her hands so it wouldn't get blown off her head. Sighing, Sasuke followed them.

They reached the building, which turned out to be some sort of abandoned Warehouse. Naruto tried the door but it was locked tight.

"Aagh!" He shout angrily, kicking the door with his paw-shaped shoes. "Open up!"

"Knock it out." Sasuke pulled him away from the door. "Maybe this isn't the right place."

"It is." Kiba said, appearing from around a corner. He was dressed as a lion tamer, complete with whip and all. Akamaru was next to him, a big lion's mane glued around its head. "We've already checked, this is the only possible place for a party."

"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata said shyly, a pair of glittery fairy wings strapped to her back.

"But it's closed." Naruto said, completely ignoring her.

"Perhaps because it's not midnight yet." Sasuke said, wondering how the hell he had ended up there.

"Guess we have to wait." Sakura sat on a rock and crossed her legs, trying to draw Sasuke's attention towards her black mini and stripped socks. "Does anyone know what time it is?"

"11:55 p.m." Said a voice behind her.

"Oh, thank…" Sakura turned around and screamed in terror at what she saw there.

It was death itself standing before her, his dark cloak floating in the night's wind. A scythe glistened between his skeleton hands and his eyes were black pools of nothingness.

The horror was strong enough to knock her on her back, her legs sticking up into the air.

"Are you stupid or what?" Sasuke asked coldly. "That's just Shino."

Sakura blushed bright red at her mistake. Sasuke was right, it was just Shino in a grim reaper costume.

"WAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto laughed noisily. "Sakura-Chan, I could see your panties!"

Sakura angrily pulled at the muzzle on Naruto's face as far as she could, then let go of it. Naruto fell back holding his face in pain.

"You were invited too? How troublesome." Shikamaru complained, dragging his feet lazily towards them. The zombie costume he was wearing fit his usual walking style perfectly.

"Dude, what up with your hair?" Kiba laughed.

"Please don't ask." Shikamaru sighed. He scratched his spiky hair, which was let loose and sticking out of his head at odd angles. "It's not like I like it either, but I was forced by…"

"Sasuke-kun!" A female voice squealed behind him.

"That." He point at Ino, who was gleefully skipping towards Sasuke in a Play Boy bunny costume. "It could be worse, thou." And by that he was referring to Chouji, who was a giant Jack-O-Lantern.

"Like my costume, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, twirling in front of Sasuke so he could appreciate the whole thing better. "I put it on just for you."

Sasuke briefly looked at her with disdain then turned away, his mouth twisted in disgust.

"Aww, not even my cute little tail?" She turned around to show him the fluffy bunny tail on the back of her leotard.

He was just opening his mouth to make a harsh and poisonous statement, when Lee suddenly jumped into the scene.

"Yes, it is I!" He shout at the top of his lungs. "Here and ready for party!"

Silence… no one said anything. And then, almost as if they had been rehearsing it, everyone began laughing at the same time.

"What? What's so funny?" Lee asked with a huge grin pasted on his face. He yet didn't seem to understand that they were laughing at him.

"Hey, that's original." Sasuke smirked, tugging at a loose bandage on Lee's mummy costume.

"Oh my gosh, Lee!" Naruto gasped with fake amazement. "Is that **real** toilet paper?"

"About time you came." Shikamaru held his stomach as if in pain. "I really have to go!"

As they were laughing and pointing, a cloud was blown over the full moon, leaving everything in darkness. A good break for Lee, who was sinking in abashment.

"Knock it out you guys." Tenten said apprehensively.

The rest could hear her voice but not see her.

"It's **his** own fault for wearing such a ridiculous costume to begin with." Said Neji's voice in its distinctive tone of arrogance, one that only Sasuke could be able to match. "But I would keep my mouth shut if I were you, it's not like your costumes are any better. You for instance, Hinata-Sama. What the hell is it that you're wearing?"

Of course Neji couldn't see her **now**, but he had seen her right before she left the house and every thing about her had disgusted him, from the cheesy, sparkly wings to the golden painted cardboard crown she wore over her head.

But the worst part, seriously, was the fluffy blue tutu with it's silver moon and star decorations.

To be honest, it wasn't the tutu that bothered him, but the length of the thing. It was too short and her legs were showing! Even if she was wearing tights, Neji was sure Hinata's father would never allow such things.

She was in for a harsh punishment when they returned home.

Poor Hinata lowered her head in embarrassment, even thou she had been the only one (aside from Shino, of course) who hadn't been laughing at Lee's costume.

"Yeah? Then I suppose yours are bett…" Kiba didn't get to finish that sentence, because just then, the moon shone again.

"Oh, wow…" Sakura gasped.

The rest just stood there gapping at Neji and Tenten.

Neji was dressed as a magician, with a black tuxedo, white gloves, bow tie and a top hat. His hair was picked up in a thin, low ponytail and some loose strands fell at the sides of his face, which was half concealed behind a black mask set over his eyes.

Tenten was probably a magician's assistant, because she was dressed almost exactly the same, except that her clothes were tighter fitting and she wore hot pants and heels. All the other details were matched to perfection, even the black mask.

With all that, Tenten was glamorous and Neji looked not only handsome, but whatever comes after that!

"Your hair is beautiful Tenten." Sakura told her, unable to hide the glint of jealousy that rang in her voice.

"It's so long." Ino stared longingly at Tenten's waist long ponytail while twisting her short pigtails sadly. "I had no idea it was that long since it's always twisted into buns."

"Guys!" Naruto shout suddenly. "Ten seconds to midnight!" He looked intently at his watch, as if willing it to move even faster. "Five… four… three… two… one…"

He grabbed the door know bad twisted it. The door didn't open.

"What?" Naruto angrily kicked at the door again. "But it's midnight, you piece of crap!"

"Maybe there's no such thing as a party." Sasuke told him. "These invitations must be fake."

"Yeah…" Naruto lowered his head resignedly. "That might explain why we all got invi…"

The door slowly began creaking open, its old hinges moaning noisily. Behind it, however, there was noting but darkness.

"What's that?"

"I don't know, I can't see anything."

"Did that door just open on its own?"

"I want to go home!"

"Hello!" Naruto poked his head inside. "Anyone there?"

He was about to walk inside the room when Sakura pulled him back.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" She hissed into his ear. "You can't just walk into a creepy place like that."

"This is Halloween, Sakura-Chan." He grinned at her mischievously. "Everything is supposed to be creepy."

And with that he walked inside.

The bravest ones walked in after him, others hesitated for a while but in the end, they all stepped into the warehouse.

It was dark in there, too dark to even see who was standing next to you. The faint moon light coming from the door didn't help much.

"Hum, some party." Naruto groaned.

Behind them the old door creaked once… twice… then all of a sudden slammed itself shut with a loud _'Bam!' _that echoed horribly inside the room.

Hinata squealed and cowered next to the nearest person. Whoever it was (She was hipping it to be Naruto) wrapped his arms around her in a protective way.

Screaming, Sakura threw herself at the one next to her, whom she thought to be Sasuke. Sasuke felt someone clinging desperately to his arm.

Neji pulled Tenten behind him, he was sure it was her because she had been standing next to him all along.

Ino pressed herself against one of the walls. She was silent because her fear wouldn't let her shout out.

'_Clang! Clang! Clang!'_

What was that? It was like the sound of chains clanging against one another.

Screechy laughter as that of witches filled the room. The flutter of bat wings came form over their heads.

"I want to go home!" Somebody whined.

And then, all of a sudden, the room was illuminated by hundreds of multicolor lights coming from the ceiling as music from electric guitars rocked the old walls.

So it was a party after all…

"As far as pranks go, that one went too far." Kiba said as he unwrapped his arms from around Hinata. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh." She answered in a tiny voice.

"Wow, that was scary." Sakura sighed, still clinging to the boy next to her.

"Would you be as kind as to let go of me?" The boy asked.

Sakura's eyes widened, that definitely wasn't Sasuke's voice.

"Sorry!" She cried out while backing away from Shino, whom she had mistaken for Sasuke.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke growled while shaking his arm in disgust. "Get away from me, you idiot!"

"Oops!" Laughing stupidly, Naruto led go of Sasuke's arm, which he had been clinging to in fear. "My bad!"

"Look!" Chouji's eyes sparkled in joy. "Food!"

Food there was, and lots of it too. Long tables lined two of the four walls, each brimming with all sorts of snacks, pastries and anything they could possibly want.

"Forget about the food!" Naruto shout. "Check **this **out!"

On the far side of the room was another table filled with glass cups of "Piña Colada" and other drinks they couldn't recognize.

There were also bottles of vodka, wine, cans of beer! Every thing they knew they **shouldn't **drink. Every thing they'd always been told to stay away from.

But it was theirs now, and who was going to stop them?

And so they drank, and ate, and danced. All night long until they lost their sense of self awareness. Until they didn't even knew who they were anymore.

Blinking multicolored lights, hazy faces and distorted laughter.

That was the last thing they would remember, before the nightmare began…

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

_Vianey: Hold, hold, hold on a minute! Vodka and Piña Colada in Konoha? __Shouldn't it be Sake?_

_Ten: Sake is boring. It sounds better that way._

_Glacia: You see? That's the kind of things we get flamed for._

_Ten: That reminds me… readers please, if you're flaming us, would you be as kind as to mention exactly why? Don't just write "That's bad" or "I don't like it"._

_Glacia: Or the typical "That doesn't make sense". Of course it makes no sense, it's fanfic. It's made up. Not real._

_Vianey: We need to know what we're doing wrong so we can improve it. We accept ideas and recommendations too._

_Glacia: And please review, it won't cost you nothing._

_Ten: To make sure we get enough reviews, I'm not uploading chapter 2 until I get at least __**3 **__reviews. And I mean it!_

_**Want to play?**_

_YukiTenVianey Team, out…_


	2. Want To Play?

_Four reviews… God__, it feels so good to have them! They came in faster than I expected, so it took a while to finish this chapter._

_To readers. - __**Alita n' Emily, silverokami2009, and afrodude… **_

_I owe you my loyalty! (Not that I didn't already owe it to Alita and but…)_

_And to my co-writers, girls I know I've already said this but…_

_I told you so Vianey._

_In your face Glacia!_

_It sure feels good to say it publicly. _

**Chapter Two**

**xX Want To Play? Xx**

spinning, spinning, spinning. Round and round again.

It won't stop spinning, are you all right? What's wrong now? Do you feel sick? Does it hurt anywhere?

Round and round… won't it ever stop?

"D-Damn…" Naruto moaned as soon as he recovered enough sanity to notice the throbbing in his head.

With his eyes still closed, he slowly forced himself to a sitting position, which was a terrible idea. His head spun even faster and his stomach lurched, a wave of sickness suddenly washing over him.

"Stop the world!" He begged. "I want to get off!"

"It's called a hang-over." Sasuke groaned. "You shouldn't drink so much if you can't deal with the side effects."

"First of all, I didn't drink that much." Naruto stated. "All I had was a beer and two of those strawberry-flavored drinks. And second, what the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Open your eyes, idiot!" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto did, very slowly. It felt like his eyes would pop out of their sockets.

He was sitting on a stone floor, no wonder his bed felt so hard. Sasuke was a few feet away, leaning wearily against a wall that appeared to be made of metal plates.

The rest of their friends, still wearing their costumes from the night before, were sprawled all over the floor in a tangled mess of arms and legs. Aside from Shino, who sat quietly in a corner, they all seemed to be immersed in some sort of comatose state.

"They're not dead, are they?" He asked, too stupefied with alcohol to notice that some of them were even snoring.

"No, they're drunk." Sasuke answered. He wouldn't admit it, but he was feeling really crappy himself.

He blamed the vodka for that entirely.

How much had he drank, exactly? He had counted only two, but judging by the intensity of his hangover, it might as well have been twelve.

Had he really drank that much as to forget about everything, even himself? How could he allow such thing to happen? Where had his self control gone to?

Sasuke felt disappointed of himself, ashamed of his actions and disgusted by his companions.

"Where are we?" Naruto asked while scanning the room.

It was small, smaller even than his own bedroom, which might explain why his friends were all heaped on top of one another.

Just like he had noticed before, the walls were made of metal plates. This place must have been built not too long ago, for the walls were shiny and spotless.

There was, however, no door. Not a single window had been built either. The only light came from a light bulb hanging from the low concrete ceiling.

The light was not too bright, something he was thankful for.

"Oh shit, are we in jail?"

"Jails have bars you moron." Said Sasuke annoyed while rubbing his temples. "Looks more like some sort of punishment to me. Our sensei must have found us and brought our drunken asses here as a lesson for disobeying them."

"Yo, Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto shout. "I'm sorry, all right? Now could you please get me out of here, Sasuke's breathing up all my air!"

"You're so stupid Naruto!" Sasuke sneered. "As if he was going to let you out just like that."

"But we did nothing wrong if you think about it. Why must we get punished?"

"This is not a punishment, no." Shino said weakly from his corner. "I wouldn't be here if it were."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't drink."

"C'mon!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "if you didn't drink, then how did you end up here?"

"I don't know." He admitted.

"See there? You don't know 'cause you were too drunk to remember!"

"I'm telling you I didn't drink." Shino frowned. "Not a single drop, but I did eat."

"The food!" Sasuke's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"I think there was something strange in the food." Shino nodded. "And if that's true, we might be in danger."

"No… no way." Naruto stammered.

Sasuke tried to get up but his body was too weak for that. He fell back on his knees, the room spinning around him.

"Here's what we'll do." He panted, trying to keep himself from throwing up. "We'll wait for either Hyuuga to wake up, maybe they can see what's going on."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"God!" Neji cried out and covered his eyes in pain.

They stung, they burned. His eyes hurt, they hurt a lot.

"I can't." He clenched his jaw. "My eyes won't obey."

Sickness and nausea assaulted him, not to mention his body was weak and shaky.

A glass of wine, just a single glass. How could such a small amount affect his health like this? Affect him to a point in which he couldn't even use his kekkei genkai.

"This isn't right, I barely even drink at all."

"I didn't drink anything." Hinata said in a shaky voice.

"Neither did I." Lee said. "You know how I get with alcoholic drinks."

"This proves what I said before." Shino fixed the glasses over his nose. "The food was drugged, that party was nothing but a trap. Someone brought us here fore a reason, but I can't figure out why"

"Oh, no!" Sakura squealed and backed into a corner. "We'll be raped!"

The girls gasped in fear while the boys stared at her like saying 'What the hell?'

"Uh… no, I don't think that's what they want." Shikamaru shook his head. "Besides, I they wanted to do that, they would have done it while you were doped and helpless."

"You mean we've already…"

"Oh, shut up Sakura!" Sasuke spat. "It's not like **anyone **would want you, not even for that!"

Despite the increasing terror she was feeling, Ino couldn't help but to chuckle.

"It's okay, Sakura-Chan." Naruto tried to calm her down. "We won't be here for too long. Once your parents notice you've disappeared they'll start looking for us. They know about the party, so they'll find us right away."

"Actually…" Sakura began.

"What?"

"I… I didn't tell my parents about the party." She confessed. "I knew they wouldn't let me go, so I just sneaked out of my house."

"Ok… maybe not you." He smiled. "But someone else's parents might…"

The rest shook their heads slowly.

"You all sneaked out of your houses?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Not exactly. I just walked out of my home, no one asked where I was going." Shikamaru shrugged.

"I needed money for a costume, so I told my dad about the party." Ino said. "But… I didn't tell him where it was going to be."

"Hi-Hinata!" Naruto turned to her now, a forced smile on his lips. "Hinata, you're a good girl. You **did **tell your father about the party, didn't you?"

"I-I… I…" She fidgeted with the fabrics of her tutu.

"Well?" Naruto leaned forward in anticipation.

"I didn't…" She choked out as she tried to blink back the tears flooding her eyes. "Father would never let me, so I p-paid Hanabi to tell him I had slept in her room."

"You did what?" Neji frowned.

"Neji-niisan, I…"

"Shut up." He cut her short. "You're in big trouble now, just wait until we get home."

Hinata lowered her head and backed into a corner next to Shino, who didn't even looked at her. She wasn't expecting him to defend her or anything, but he could've at least offer her some sympathy.

Oh well, that was Shino. Never really caring about anything. Kiba was the one who usually stood out for her.

She directed her sight to the center of the room, where Kiba and Chouji still laid unconscious. The former, for trying every single drink on the bar. The later, for almost cleaning the food tables.

"We might be able to leave this place." She said quietly and point to Chouji and Kiba. "Perhaps they can break the walls."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Clong!_

Kiba's head banged clamorously against one of the metal walls.

"Son of a bitch!" He fell on his back while holding his head in pain. The sickness he felt was already bad enough and a failed Tsuuga attack combined with a skull shattering hit wasn't making it any better.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata stumbled towards him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive if that's what you're asking." He groaned. "But I'm definitely not okay."

And how could he, when he had waken up from a shady, sickening dream to find himself drugged and kidnapped in some modern kind of dungeon?

All of that, however, he could have been able to withstand. It wouldn't bother him half as much, if only he had Akamaru by his side.

But Akamaru wasn't in the room, they had taken him away. Whatever happened to his friends, even to himself, could not preoccupy him more than his best friend's fate.

It was up to him to break the walls, to set them free and to find Akamaru. But he couldn't do even that, he was too weak to perform any kind of attack.

"This is impossible." Gritting his teeth, Kiba forced himself to his feet again. He tried to ignore the throbbing wound on his head and the thread of blood coming out of it. "I've sued this attack over a million times, it shouldn't have failed."

Well, at least he wasn't turning green and drooling over his costume like Chouji.

"It's because of all the shit that was in our food." Naruto angrily threw his paw-shaped gloves against one of the walls. "It's got us all fucked up!"

"I don't think that's the only reason." Shikamaru said thoughtfully. "There's something strange about these walls too."

"You mean aside from being unbreakable?" Kiba asked, wiping blood away from his brow.

"Right here, see?" Shikamaru pressed his hand against the wall behind him. "It's hot."

He was right, the walls felt hot to the touch, even thought it was cold inside the room.

"I don't like this." Neji shook his head.

Despite the pain like prickling needles on his eyes, Neji gathered all his will power and directed the few remains of chakra towards his eyes. It had to work this time, it just **had **to work.

"Tah!" He covered his eyes in pain once more, his body suddenly feeling drained of energy.

He did not see what was beyond the walls, the Byakugan didn't last that long. But what he did say, what truly stroke him, was the network of chakra flowing through them.

"It's true, isn't it?" Shikamaru asked. "Our chakra is being drained."

Neji merely nodded, too weak to do anything else.

No wonder they were feeling so wrong, there was barely enough chakra in them to keep them awake.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"What time is it?" Ino asked wearily.

"5:35" Shino informed.

"P.M?"

"I don't know."

They'd been inside that room for hours, countless hours that felt like decades. Minutes dragged lazily by, fear and anxiety growing with every stroke of the minute hand.

Some sat quietly with their eyes closed, some began to obsessively fix their crumples costumes, which was something completely unnecessary given their situation, yet it helped to keep them distracted.

"Say…" Naruto had found a way to entertain himself, and it was annoying the hell out of Sasuke. "Shouldn't you take off the vampire fangs already?"

"I can't." Sasuke sighed annoyed, answering Naruto's 56th question. Ignoring him didn't help much, he would just repeat the same question over and over again until an answer was made. "They're glued to my own teeth."

The girls sat on the opposite side of the room, immersed in the only activity that could take their mind of this frightful situation.

"I just love Sasuke-kun's costume." Sakura said dreamily. "His fangs look awesome."

"Yes, they do." Ino smiled mischievously. "My neck is always available for that vampire."

Sakura and Tenten laughed. Hinata was trying to understand what was so great about Sasuke. Sure he was handsome, she couldn't deny it, but he didn't have Naruto's dream-like blue eyes or his hearth warming smile.

"Check Neji out." Ino elbowed Sakura. "Is he hot or what?"

"Whoa, Tenten's property." Sakura warned. "Better stay away from him."

Tenten put the mask back over her eyes but it couldn't hide her blushing cheeks. She directed a sly smile towards Hinata, who smiled reassuringly at her.

"I won't tell him." Hinata promised.

"But seriously now, he's **hot**." Ino insisted. "The only thing that could make him hotter would be if he wasn't so stuck up."

The smile froze on her face as Neji's eyes flew open and he straightened himself. For a moment she wondered if he had heard her, but that was not it.

Whit a sound of turning gears, one of the walls began to slide up and disappear into the ceiling. Everyone ran to the opposite wall, ready to face whatever was behind the newly opened gate.

Up went the wall, up and up until it had completely disappeared through the ceiling. Behind it there was a wall exactly like the previous one, except that this one had a door in the center.

Naruto ran to it and turned the knob.

"It's unlocked!" He announced.

The blond boy opened the door, revealing a hallway behind it. He wasn't surprised to find that all the walls were also made of metal plates.

Shino picked up his scythe and headed for the door.

"Shino, dude… Halloween is over." Kiba informed. "You don't need that anymore."

"It might not be sharp but its' still a piece of metal." Shino said. "If someone comes fro us, I'd rather have this scythe in my hand than nothing at all."

"Good point." Kiba agreed and returned for his whip and hat. He might need throwing objects some time soon.

Naruto ran back for his paw-shaped gloves, they might come in handy later, though he couldn't imagine how.

In the end, the only thing left behind was Hinata's trampled cardboard crown.

They headed down the hallway while trying to stick close to each other, the sound of their footsteps was the only thing that could be heard.

"What's wrong Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, noticing Sasuke had stopped abruptly.

"There's a note here."

Everyone turned to him, sure enough there was a not stuck to the wall.

"That's weird. What does it say?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke pulled it off the wall and read out loud.

"Would you like to play a game? You'll have fun, I guarantee. Want to play this game of fear? There's no choice, as you can see?"

A deafening sound was heard behind the door they'd just come out through. They didn't need to see to know that the wall had fallen back in place.

"Round one starts now." Sasuke kept on reading. "Run fast, you don't want to get left behind. Remember that in this game, there's more to win than just a price."

"More to win than just a price?" Kiba asked. "What's the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"And how the hell should I now?" Sasuke shrugged.

_Shhh, shhh, shhh!_

"Look!" Sakura point to the ceiling, were dozens of tiny squared windows were opening. "What are those for?"

A low humming was heard over their heads. They gazed intently at the windows but nothing happened, until…

_Swoosh!_

A metallic needle, about 15 inches long, shot out from one of the windows. It flew over Sakura's head and tore off her witch hat. The potency it had was so great, that it even penetrated the concrete floor.

They stared at the needle for a while, too shocked to do anything else.

_Swoosh, swoosh! _More needles shot from the ceiling.

"Run!" Someone shout.

Just like the note said, they ran as fast as they could. Lee and Kiba were taking the lead.

Needles kept raining down on them, faster and faster every time. If they didn't run fast enough, they would be turned into human pin cushions.

It was impressing how fast Chouji could run, even in his Jack-O-Lantern costume. It was even more impressing how Ino and Sakura could run in high heels, but they seemed to be used to it.

Unfortunately, Tenten was not. She was dead last on the race, with the fast approaching needles right behind her.

"Aahh!" Tenten took a wrong step and her left ankle cracked horribly. She fell hard on her side, the top hat flying off her head.

"Tenten!" Neji shout and ran to her.

"Tenten!" Rock Lee abandoned his privileged place and ran back to her as well.

Neji was the closest one, only a few meters away.

"Neji!" Tenten reached out her hand.

Just then, a needle went right through her skull, pinning her head to the ground.

"No!" Lee tried to reach her, but was stopped by Shikamaru. Tenten was dead now, there was nothing to be done.

Even so, more needles kept raining down on her. Blood splattered on the walls with each one that went through her.

Neji dropped to his knees. Unable to move, unable to shut his eyes to the horror of the scene.

The needles stopped their advance, but they kept raining down on her. More and more, until she was completely unrecognizable. Until the puddle of blood spread so far that it almost reached Neji.

It wasn't until Tenten's body was entirely covered in them, that the needles finally stopped.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten: See? And you said "Needle Shower" wasn't an interesting cause of death._

_Vianey: You said that…_

_Ten: I did? Well, I take that back. The original death cause was "Dismembered" (Picked randomly form the box) but it was changed because Vianey couldn't give me a good scenario. Really now, how hard can that be?_

_Glacia: If it's not hard, why don't you do it yourself?_

_Ten: Shut up. And what is that "Tah!" you wrote for Neji? When do you see that applied in real life Glacia?_

_Glacia: *Points a flash light to Ten's eyes*_

_Ten: Tah! My eyes!_

_Glacia: See? You get it._

_See anything that's not right? We apologize for grammar mistakes or anything of the sort._

_**Want to play?**_


	3. New Players

_A great delay, I know, and am ashamed of it. It's just that there's been so many things going around here. First, the never ending rains and all those floods. Then, all those cross fires between soldiers, marines and bad guys. It's all gone to a point in which they're even throwing grenades at each other without caring how many civilians are near and now there's even bomb attempts at schools._

_I mean, come on! __**Give us a break! **__We wake up with the sound of helicopters every morning, it's no fun, I swear. _

_Let's forget that for a moment and return to the story._

_Akatsuki joins, which means m__ore characters to torture, yaay! Random OOC Deidara, just for laughs. Deidara fans please don't hate me!_

_**Disclaimer: **__**We do not own Naruto. You happy now?**_

**Chapter Three**

**xX New Players Xx**

'_Neji!'_

Tenten's hand reaching out, the needle going through her head. It all kept playing again in Neji's head, no matter how hard he tried to block it away.

"More to win than just a price." Sasuke angrily crushed the note he still held in his hand. "I should have known."

The message, which had held no meaning before, was now more than clear. If loosing meant death, then the price for wining must be life.

"I should have helped her." Lee said while hugging his knees. "I shouldn't have left her behind, but I was scared."

"We all were." Said Neji. Unlike Rock Lee, who was crying his eyes out and drowning in his own tears, he was trying his best to forget what had just happened.

As if such thing were even possible.

Deep inside he knew it was his fault, because he was the closest one to her but couldn't reach her on time.

"So what now?" Sakura asked. "What's going to happen to us?"

"They'll kill us all." Said Ino.

Despite their long time rivalry, these girls now clang to each other as they cried and shook in fear.

"No, we have to find a way to escape." Naruto stood up dramatically.

"And how are we to do that, have you any idea?" Shikamaru asked. "We have no chakra, we have no jutsu…"

"We have no will." Chouji finished.

He was right. Aside from the weakness in their bodies, they were all too scared to keep on going, let alone try to escape.

"Then… what then?" Naruto asked. "We'll just sit here and wait to be turned into pin cushions just like…"

He trailed off, noticing the pain in Lee and Neji's faces.

"I feel stupid saying this." Kiba stood up too. "But Naruto's right. We can't just stay here, moving forward is the only way."

And it was, literally. Going back meant having to face Tenten's massacred body again, only to find the same door they'd just come out of.

"If we do that we'll get killed." Shikamaru shook his head. "This is just a game, don't you realize? We're no more than pieces on a board. The note said 'round one begins now' which means there are other rounds waiting for us ahead. I don't know about you, but being forced to participate in a sick, twisted game appears nowhere in my plans."

"Well, if you stay here you'll probably die of starvation." Kiba said. "No one knows we're here, so no one will come and save us. If you want to die just for dying, that's fine, but you can't expect the rest of us to just sit around and wait. We either find a way out of here or die trying, but we won't go down like cowards!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto lift his fist in the air. "I second that!"

"Yes…" Lee wiped the tears away from his eyes. "Me too."

"But how are we going to do that?" Ino asked. "Which way is out?"

"I don't want to play this game." Hinata whimpered. "I don't want to know how it ends."

"Wait… that's it!" Sasuke said suddenly. "More to win than just a price."

"Bravo Sasuke." Kiba said sarcastically while clapping his hands. "You've learned how to read."

"No, listen." Sasuke frowned. "This is just a game, right? And if we lose, we get killed."

"I believe that's already more than clear." Neji said bitterly.

"But that's only if we lose." Sasuke continued. "If we live, if we somehow make it to the end of the game, then we might win our freedom."

"Well… that kind of makes sense." Shikamaru admitted, although there was still doubt in his voice.

Sasuke had a point, if they were smart enough to go through each round without getting killed, then they might make it to the end of the game.

Still, they couldn't be sure that whoever was doing this would let them out, even if they did manage to win.

"Sasuke-kun is right." Sakura said.

"You're so smart Sasuke-kun." Said Ino.

It seemed that no matter what happened, they would always be Sasuke's loyal fan girls.

Always, even in the worst of situations.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"For the last time." Sasuke growled, his right eyebrow twitching. "Get **away** from me!"

Sakura and Ino each let go of one of Sasuke's arms, but they didn't back away. They were mere inches behind him, so close that he could feel their breath on the back of his neck and the smell of their perfume invaded the air.

Jasmine flowers and cherry blossoms with vanilla. Sweet, sticky smell flooding his nose.

It made his stomach lurch, why wouldn't they stay away"

"Sakura-Chan, if you're scared you can hold on to me." Naruto offered. "I don't mind."

Sakura looked down at him, the same cold stare that Sasuke had just given her.

"No way." She sneered.

Naruto's face fell. Hinata was about to say something that could comfort him when…

"Wait!" Kiba stopped and sniffed the air. Even without chakra his sense of smell was superior to the others. "There are people up ahead."

It's happened to you. It's happened to me. It's happened to all of us.

That feeling of fright, of terror. That feeling of despair, when you're certain that something horrible is about to happen. When your blood chills and it feels like your very soul is trying to escape your body.

That's exactly how they felt, when they heard Kiba's words.

"There are people up ahead."

Quietly they moved forward, clinging to anything they could possibly use as weapons. There was nowhere to go, nothing to do but to try and fight back.

The hallway kept going straight, but an adjoining hallway opened to the right some meters away. Angry male voices became distinct as they neared it and they definitely didn't sound friendly.

"Quit bumping on me." One of them said.

"It's just because you walk too slow." Another answered.

"I'm not slow, you walk too fast!"

"Shut the fuck up already!" Growled a third voice. "If you don't I'll kill you both!"

"Yeah? I'd like to see you try!"

"As if you really could!"

"Let's go back." Sakura whispered. "They don't know we're here, let's go back while we still can."

But even as she said that, it was more than clear that they wouldn't go back.

"What I wouldn't give for some chakra." Another voice said longingly. "I'd love to blow this place up, un."

"Just when I thought you couldn't be more useless. Guess I was wrong there."

"What was that, un?"

"Quit that Kisame." Said a serious voice. "Just keep quiet."

Sasuke's eyes widened and the blood boiled in his veins. He knew that voice, he knew it all too well.

Without a second thought, he jerked his arms away from Ino and Sakura's grasp and darted blindly towards the hallway to the right.

"Shit!" Kiba said.

"Idiot! What is he doing?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke's angry steps echoed against the walls. All hopes of a quiet approach were now gone.

"It's his brother." Said Naruto.

Out of all of them, he was the only one who had ever seen him face to face. The only one, aside from Sasuke, who could recognize his voice.

"The man who murdered the Uchiha clan."

"Bastard!" Sasuke shout at the top of his lungs and threw himself into the hallway.

"What the hell?"

"Ugh!" Someone got his air knocked out.

"I will kill you!" The sound of a fist landing on something.

Then a harder blow and Sasuke came flying into view. He crashed hard against the nearest wall and hit the floor with a low _'thump'._

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Quit that Kisame." Itachi said in a voice that made it sound more like an order. "Just keep quiet."

Kisame made no reply but did as he was told, deciding Hidan and Deidara had had enough… at least for the moment.

"Cough, bitch." Deidara coughed.

"I'm sorry, what was that miss?" Kisame cupped his hand behind his ear.

"You heard me right, un." Deidara frowned.

"Shut up and move Kisame." Itachi glared. "Now!"

"Itachi's bitch says what?" Asked Hidan.

"What?" Kisame asked confused.

"Bitch!" Hidan and Deidara point at him.

"Shut the hell up already Hidan!" Kakuzu barked. "I'm sick of hearing your voice!"

"I swear Deidara, sometimes I don't know what kind of nonsense goes through your head." Sasori said dryly.

They were all too busy yelling and messing with each other, that they didn't notice the approaching steps until it was too late.

"Bastard!" A boy in a vampire costume suddenly came out of nowhere and flung himself at them.

"What the hell?" Kisame recognized the boy to be Itachi's little brother.

Itachi must have been equally surprised, because he made no attempt to move even as the boy jumped on him like a frenzied animal and slammed his knees against his chest, knocking the air out of him.

"Ugh!" he fell back, the younger Uchiha pinning him to the ground.

"I will kill you!" He brought his fist down on Itachi's face, a bright red bruise instantly appearing on the spot.

Moving fast, Kisame swung Samehada over his shoulder and connected a hit right under the boy's chin.

He flew back, crashed hard against the nearest wall and hit the floor with a low _'thump'._

Without looking away from his brother, Itachi quickly got to his feet. It wasn't an easy thing to do since his legs were so weak.

Sasuke quivered a bit but he didn't get up. Apparently he was too stupefied by the blow he'd just received.

This was strange, why was Sasuke here? Why was he wearing a vampire costume? How had he ended up here? How had **they **ended up here?

Where was "here"to begin with?

"What's that?" Kisame asked, adding yet another question to the box.

Itachi looked in the direction he was pointing, there seemed to be some sort of small, triangular object at his feet.

He bent down to pick it up and examine it carefully.

"So what is it?" Hidan asked.

"It looks like a tooth…"

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Everyone stood paralyzed in place. They were all too scared to even help Sasuke, who laid pitifully on the ground.

"Ack!" Sasuke spit a mouthful of blood. He tried to get up, but he was too weak and disorientated.

The rest willed themselves to move, to help, to do something! But it was useless.

Fear had their legs glued in place yet, could you really blame them?

Sasuke's older brother was here, which meant the Akatsuki was behind all this.

Akatsuki.

S ranked criminals, the worst of their kind.

How were they to compete against S ranked criminals when they had no physical strength and close to no chakra?

"Get up Sasuke." Uchiha Itachi walked into the hallway. He was easy to recognize because he might as well be Sasuke's older version. "I know you're not this weak."

More Akatsuki members walked in after him, and they were quite a bunch.

Aside from Sasuke's older brother, there was a shark-faced man with blue skin, a silver-haired one who acted like he was all that, one who's face was almost entirely hidden, a red-haired one who looked fairly normal, and a blond chick.

All of them had the same red clouds decorating their black cloaks.

"You know this kid?" Asked the silver-haired.

"My brother." The Uchiha answered.

Everyone held their breath, not wanting to do anything that would give their presence away.

Lee involuntary took a step to the left, bumping Shino's scythe slightly. Unfortunately, Shino's hands were sweating so bad, that the scythe slipped off his grasp.

'_Clang'! _It hit noisily against the concrete floor. In their ears, it sounded like certain death.

Their hearts stopped as every single Akatsuki member turned to look at them at the same time.

"Looks like there's more of them here." Said the one who's face they couldn't see.

"Careful." Warned the shark-face. "See that blond boy there?" He point at Naruto. "He's the Kyuubi of Konoha, no less."

There was no way to deny that, he was even wearing a fox costume.

So they were here for Naruto, that made sense. The question now was, why had they captured all of them? Why make them go through all that?

Why give Tenten such a horrible death, when she had absolutely nothing to do in this?

"So Konoha is behind all this. The red-haired said. "How fitting that they would send a Jinchuuriki to…"

"W-why…" Sasuke reached out and clang to his ankle. "Why… are you doing this?"

The red-haired frowned, apparently not understanding what Sasuke was talking about.

"Why us?" He asked again. "Why do this to us?"

"Do what?" Itachi asked, and he looked genuinely confused. Just like the others.

"Don't play dumb on us!" Naruto shout, suddenly finding his voice. "You tricked us into that party, you altered our food and brought us to this horrible place!"

"Wait, party? What…"

"What is it you want? Me?" He shout again. "If it's me you want, then why bring them into this? Why use such coward ways to debilitate and torture us?"

"You're not making any sense…"

"Just tell me, how long did it take you to build this place? Man, you must seriously have lots of free time!"

"Shut the fuck up already!" Yelled the silver-haired, clearly annoyed. "Quit babbling all that shit about parties and food and… torture! Damn, you're annoying!"

"No, you shut up!" Naruto yelled back. "Don't act like you didn't know what I'm talking about!"

"But we don't." Itachi said, as if anyone would actually believe his words. "We don't even know how we got here."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Sasuke stared hatefully at Itachi as they moved forward. No matter how many times he swore Akatsuki had nothing to do in this, he just couldn't trust them.

Their story of how they'd gotten here was full of gaps and the fact that they'd been thrown in along with their weapons was more than suspicious.

Akatsuki was not to be trusted, that was for sure. They were all but criminals and exiles.

Itachi was aware of Sasuke's stare but decided to ignore it, he just wasn't in the mood for a staring competition. Instead he searched his pockets and pulled out the tooth that Kisame had knocked out.

"Here." He hand it to Sasuke. "You dropped this."

"Not mine." Sasuke answered briefly. "Part of my costume."

"I see." Itachi nodded, noticing the other fang that remained on Sasuke's mouth. "Tough I still don't understand why you're dressed that way."

"Like I said before, we were attending a costume party, which is a better explanation than you can give."

"A costume party." Itachi almost laughed at the idea. "No self respecting person would attend to one."

"Said the man in the matching uniform." Sasuke countered.

A good comeback, indeed.

Itachi frowned, the staring competition had begun.

Behind them, Ino was seriously regretting her costume choice.

Surprise, surprise! The blond chick had actually turned out to be a guy (Deidara, they said was his name), and he kept staring intently at her while inching closer with each step.

She tried her best to avoid eye contact, but was forced to look at him when he "accidentally" bumped his shoulder against hers.

"Excuse…"

"Man." He said, looking her up and down. "That's a nice bunny, un."

The look he gave her held such depravity in it, that she just couldn't help but to feel afraid.

Afraid, and a little disgusted, too.

He then made a gesture as of to brush some hair away from his eyes, but in fact he only did it to show her the tongues coming out of his palms.

"Shikamaru…" She whined and clang to his ragged shirt.

"I know." He said, pushing the pale-faced Ino behind him. "Just stay away from him, this guy creeps me out too."

"Tch." Deidara glared at him and walked away.

"Hey look, look!" Sasuke and Itachi were the closest ones to it, but Naruto saw it first. "There's another note!"

A note stuck to the wall, just like before. The only difference was that, this time, there wouldn't be a looser.

Or so they thought…

"So what are you waiting for?" Sasuke asked. "Read it."

"Hell no! I'm not gonna read it!" He shook his head violently. "You read it."

"You're such a coward." Sasuke rolled his eyes and pulled the note off the wall.

'_**New players have arrived, round two beings now.**_

_**Be careful where you step, you might not see the light again.**_

_**It is no fun, that much is true, to have one of these going right through you.'**_

"To have **what** going right through us?" Naruto asked while shaking in fear.

"Who knows." Sasuke shrugged. "But as long as we take the advice and watch our step, none of us will have to find out."

"That red line over there, should I suppose that's the end line?" Itachi asked.

They all stared ahead and, there it was, painted in vibrant blood-red over the floor. A simple line, barely some 20 meters away.

In this situation, however, it appeared almost unreachable.

"Yeah, that's definitely the end line." Naruto answered. "So… who goes first?"

"Not it."

"Not me."

"Can't we just stay here and wait to be rescued?"

That was on obvious reaction because, really, who could so stupid as to try and go first?

"Move aside you cry babies." This guy, apparently.

"Don't be an idiot Hidan, this is serious." Kakuzu warned.

"Come on, it's not like I would die that easily."

Without even caring to watch his step, the silver-haired walked towards the line. No fear showed on his face, even though certain death awaited under his feet.

"All right!" He shout once he had reached the other side. "Who's next?"

Ok, so he made it look easy. But then again, he didn't have anything to loose.

"Let's just get this over with." Itachi said and headed for the line. Sasuke followed him just for the sake of reaching the line before he did.

Naruto followed Sasuke just to look cooler than him, Hinata followed Naruto because she felt confident next to him, Sakura and Ino followed Sasuke loyally, Shikamaru followed Ino because if a girl was brave enough to do it, so should he, Chouji followed Shikamaru and so on, and so on.

They walked slowly, step by step, testing the floor with their feet before fully trusting their weight.

"Gosh!" Lee cried out as the floor collapsed under his foot, revealing a gapping hole that was big enough for any of them to fall through.

"Are you okay?" Neji asked.

"Y-yes…" Lee answered shakily. "I am fine."

He peered carefully into the hole, trying to find out what awaited them at the bottom.

It was dark, very dark and deep. But even in darkness he could see them, the grotesque wooden stakes reaching up to them like outstretched fingers.

He turned away from it and followed his way, feeling a glint of relief inside him.

Yes, he was still trapped, but at least he wasn't down there.

By the time he finally reached the line, almost everyone had finished. The only ones that remained were Ino and Kisame, who seemed to have triggered two traps in a row.

Ino was almost there, just a few more steps and the round would be over. They would prove that, even with all those traps, victory was not impossible.

If only she had been more careful.

Kisame had already finished, so she had to hurry up. Of course it would be easier if the heels of her shoes weren't feeling so wobbly. Running from the needles back there had screwed them up real bad.

She tested the floor with her foot, it was solid. No trap there, so it was safe to trust her weight.

'_Snap!'_

"What?" The heel piece of her left shoe broke off, making her loose her balance.

But Ino couldn't risk falling, it just wasn't an option. She couldn't fall, she **wouldn't **fall. Not in this game.

Not like Tenten did.

So she hopped to the side, trying to regain her balance. One second she had solid ground under her feet…

The next, there was nothing.

"KYAAAHH!"

Down went the bunny, down a rabbit's hole. Whish I could say there was a wonderland bellow.

Down, down she went, to a place were light could not.

"Ino!"

The sound her body made as it hit against the wooden stakes was similar to that of an egg breaking against the floor. It was the sound of breaking bones and flesh being pierced.

_(Seriously, try dropping an egg on t__he ground and it sounds like that.)_

"Ino-san!" Lee dashed towards the pit, even though he was risking his life by doing so.

Shikamaru followed him, even though he was used to being a coward.

"Oh, God." Men don't cry, Shikamaru knew it well. He'd grown up hearing his father say it. But when he saw her there, with numerous stakes going through her yet **still **alive, he just couldn't hold the tears back.

From the bottom, Ino could see Shikamaru and Lee looking down at her. She tried to scream, to cry for help, but all that came out was a sickening gurgling sound as blood gushed out of her throat.

Lee quickly unwrapped some bandages from around his waist and hand them to Shikamaru.

"Hold them." He commanded. "I'm going down."

Shikamaru obeyed, abandoning all logic to believe that this could save her. But just when Lee was about to jump in, the pit disappeared.

"What?"

"No… no way!" Shikamaru frantically searched the ground with his hands. "Where did it go?"

"It was right here!" Lee looked around, all the other pits had disappeared as well.

"Ino!" Shikamaru banged his fists against the floor, as if he could somehow break through it by just doing that. "INO!"

"Shi-ka…" Ino managed to choke out.

What had happened? Shikamaru was there just a second ago, and now he was gone. Where had he gone to?

She couldn't see, it was all darkness. She couldn't thing, it was all pain.

She could only hear the desperate cries of her friends, farther and farther every time.

And then, she could hear no more.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten: Oh man, that was so cliché.__ It was going so right and then it all turned to crap right before my eyes. How could you do this to me?_

_Vianey: And what did you expect me to do? "Impaled" came out and there weren't many options. Besides, I didn't see you helping back there._

_Ten: I was supervising which is also important. If you could do your job right instead of fantasizing with Naruto, it wouldn't be so bad!_

_Glacia: Isn't fanfiction fantasizing as well?_

_Ten: Uh… well… Anyways, once again I'd like to apologize to all Deidara fans, it's just that I needed a pervert and he played the part so right!_

_Vianey: *Wearing a Gaara T-Shirt* Yeah, it's just for laughs. It's not like we had anything against Deidara or something, right?_

_Glacia: *Drinking from an "I Love Gaara" cup* Yes, it is at no rate something personal._

_Ten: And the fact that we're Gaara fans has no connection to it whatsoever._

_Thanks to all of those who reviewed. And special thanks to this really cool girl __**redfox-akatsuki**__, for sending a Sasuke's Twin fanart. And to this awesome girl __**Alita**__, for sending her Game of Fear fanart and for helping us with this chapter._

_And to all of those who ever drew a fanart but were afraid of sending it, let us tell you this.- We love fanarts and would appreciate them even if they were just a head with legs. We're not picky, really. In fact, we would make a fanart contest… if only we had a price to give out._

_Oh and, just want to remind you. 6 reviews, or no chapter 4. You have been warned._

_**Want to play?**_


	4. The Lost Children

'_Sup people!_

_All right, the "Technical Difficulties" have eased a bit so we finally found the time to upload this new chapter._

_I apologize for the delay and I'm happy that you guys care so much about the fate of these characters but, like a great author once wrote.- _

"_Sometimes, when you're reading a book, you begin thinking so hard about the characters and the story that you might forget all about the author, even if he is in danger and would very much appreciate your help."_

_Note. - No, we're not in danger. I was just trying to make up an excuse for my co-writer's "EMOtiveness"._

**Chapter F****our**

**xX The Lost Children Xx**

Kakashi checked his watch as he neared the spot where the rest of his team was supposed to be waiting for him. In his head, he was already making up an excuse for his delay.

"12:55 p.m.?" He said calmly. "Good, I'm only two hours late."

He turned the corner, expecting Naruto and Sakura to yell their usual _"You're late!"_ greeting.

"I know, I know." Kakashi smiled and scratched his gray hair. "It's just that there was a big hole in my shoe this morning, so I…"

How come they hadn't interrupted him yet?

Perhaps because there wasn't anyone there to begin with.

"All right kids." He sighed. "Joke's over, come on out."

Kakashi looked around and waited, expecting them to jump on him at any moment.

Only that they never came out.

There was not a giggle, not a sound. No movement of any kind. It took him a while to realize that he was the only one standing there.

"Strange…"

Where could they be? It wasn't like them to skip on missions just like that. And even though he knew Naruto was stubborn and Sasuke could be too arrogant some times, they'd always waited patiently despite all of his delays.

So if they weren't avoiding their responsibilities, then what had happened to them? He would understand if one of them were sick but, all three of them?

"Something's not right in here." Kakashi told himself.

The bean planting mission would have to wait; right now he had to find the rest of his team.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Kakashi, please wait up!" Iruka called out as he ran after him.

"I'm kind of in a hurry." Kakashi said briefly. A nice way of saying he just didn't have the time to deal with him.

"I won't take long." Iruka promised. "I just wan to know if you've seen Naruto around."

"No, I haven't. We're supposed to have a mission today, but he hasn't shown up yet."

"That's strange." Iruka frowned. "We were supposed to meet at Ichiraku Ramen yesterday, but he didn't show up either."

"He didn't?" Kakashi's only visible eye widened. He knew, as well as everyone else, that Naruto would never, EVER, turn down an Ichiraku Ramen invitation.

Now it was more than clear that something was wrong.

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"Naruto, are you in there?" Iruka called as he knocked on Naruto's door.

Just like at Sasuke's house, there was no response from the other side.

"Naruto!" He tried again. "Can you hear me?"

The knob suddenly turned and the door swung open.

"God, I'm so glad that you…" Kakashi stared at him from the other side. "How did you get in?"

"The window." Kakashi shrugged.

Iruka stepped inside, the house was a complete mess. An unmade bed, heaps of dirty clothes, cluttered ramen bowls and a pair of boxers spinning on the ceiling fan constituted most of the decoration.

"What's that?" Iruka kneeled down to examine something on the floor.

"Well." Kakashi sighed. "Unless he's under that enormous pile of dirty clothes, I doubt he's…"

"Tonight at midnight in Konoha's forest." Iruka mumbled.

"Did you say something?"

"What? Oh, no. Just... thinking out loud." Iruka slid something into his pocket and stood up. "Let's go see Hokage-sama, she might know something."

"Yeah…" Kakashi looked at him suspiciously.

He'd seen Iruka hiding something but decided not to ask. If it were something important, he would find out sooner or later.

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"Please, just calm down a bit." Tsunade begged.

"Calm down? My son has gone missing! How do you expect me to calm down?" Inuzuka Tsume yelled at the Hokage's face.

"Yelling at me won't solve anything!" Tsunade yelled back. "So shut up already and let me think!"

She was trying her best to be patient, but her best didn't seem to be enough. She'd already dealt with the Aburame, the Yamanaka and the freaking Haruno that morning, so having to deal with the Inuzuka and Nara now was more than she could take.

"Would you mind thinking faster?" Nara Shikaku asked. "My wife is freaking out already."

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi called from the door. "May we come in?"

"Let me guess. Your students are missing too."

"Too?" Kakashi looked around. Gai, Azuma and Kurenai were there, as well as Tsume and Shikaku.

"It seems all of our students have disappeared." Kurenai informed him. "They were last seen two days ago, then they left without a trace."

"Why, oh why?" Gai wept in a corner. "My poor students. What could have happened to them?"

"I assure you that's not going to solve anything Gai." Tsunade told him. "Now, if we could just be quiet for a moment…"

"Tsunade!" The doors burst open and Hyuuga Hiashi stepped imposingly into the office.

"God must really hate me." Tsunade sighed, whishing that the ground could somehow open under her feet and swallow her whole.

"Where are my daughter and nephew?" He asked with an air of arrogant superiority. "Have you sent them on a mission without informing me? I demand to know!"

"Whoa, he demands to know?" Tsume frowned. "Who does this guy think he is?"

"I beg your pardon… lady." Hiashi looked down at her. "But as head of one of Konoha's most important clans, I have certain privileges. Of course you wouldn't know anything about that, being who you are."

"Yeah? Well…"

"Please, that's enough." Tsunade said wearily. "The truth is… the truth is that we don't know where they are."

"You don't know?" Hiashi frowned.

"They've disappeared, and it's not only them. All day long I've received reports from parents and sensei alike. 12 kids are missing so far, they can't be found anywhere. All we know is that they were here two days ago, and then they simply vanished."

"Two days ago? No, that's impossible." Hiashi shook his head. "Hinata couldn't have disappeared two days ago, she was home yesterday."

"She was?" Tsunade's eyes widened.

"Yes. Hanabi went out on a mission early that day and said Hinata had slept in her room because she was not feeling well." He explained. "I went to check on her later but she was not there. That was when I noticed Neji was gone too."

"So your daughter **told** you Hinata was there. But did you actually see her?"

"I… I…"

"Did you?"

"No, I did not." He admitted. "But, why would Hanabi lie to me?"

Why would Hanabi lie? That was a good question. Where could the lost children be? That was another good question.

Why had they left? How had they left? Why all of them at the same time?

They were all good questions, but questions were not what they needed.

"Tsunade-sama." Iruka, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. "I think I have something that could be useful." He walked to Tsunade and handed her a piece of paper.

"An invitation?"

"Yes, for a Halloween party. That's when they were last seen right? Two days ago?"

"Food, drinks and music." Tsunade read. "How come I was not invited?"

"Those kids are missing and you're worried because you didn't get invited?" Tsume asked furiously.

"That's not it. I just think it's strange because I get invited to almost every single party and I don't remember hearing anything about this one." She explained. "Iruka, where did you find this?"

"At Naruto's house, it was on the floor."

"Let me see that." Tsume snatched the invitation from Tsunade's hand. "It says here there was a costume contest. Last time I saw Kiba he was sticking a lion's mane around Akamaru's head."

"Come to think of it, last time I saw Shikamaru he was wearing some crazy clothing too." Shikaku added.

"So let's suppose they all assisted this party. It's the most logical hypothesis we have." Tsunade said. "The question now is.- Why didn't they come back?"

"A party?" Kakashi asked. "It sounds more like a really elaborated trap. Those kids weren't chosen randomly, there has to be a motive behind all of this."

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"Listen up!" Tsunade shout so her voice could be carried across the office and into the ears of all the ninja who stood before her.

"Some of you already know about the situation, but I'll repeat it one more time. 12 of our ninja have gone missing and we have reasons to believe that they might be in danger. We will search the forest at a 30 mile radio, if they are still not found, then we'll make it 50 but we must find them at any cost."

"I have given each of you their files and pictures so you'll know how to recognize them. If you see anyone who's even remotely similar you must immediately report to me. Remember that even though they're full fledged ninja they are still children. They're vulnerable and they need our help. Finding them is our priority and we will stop at nothing until we get them back. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" They answered in unison.

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Leafs flew and branches snapped as the shinobi of Konoha made their way through the forest.

Trees were bared under the Hyuuga's piercing eyes. Kikaichu swarms darkened the skies as the Aburame searched from above, while the enhanced nose of the Inuzuka and their ninja dogs strived to pick up a familiar scent.

Here and there, rocks were lifted and caves were searched. They looked in all places, but could find them nowhere.

There was no trace, nothing useful. Nothing but the question that hung over their heads.

Where could the lost children be?

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_**Disclaimer: No, we do not own Naruto. But that's pretty obvious.**_

_Ten__. - So the grownups finally noticed, let's just hope they can find them before it's too late._

_Glacia. - If I know you well enough (and I am sure I do), you are going to make it really hard for them to find those kids. Are you not?_

_Ten. - Hey, anything to keep the readers entertained! And now that I've mentioned the readers, I would like to apologize to them once again. I know it was a HUGE delay for such a short chapter but thank you so much for waiting. _

_And now, to __**Alita and Emily **__from… uh… __**Alita n' Emily, silverokami2009, , afrodude**__, _**0.O**, _**redfox-akatsuki**__**, Lulusi227, Angel ov Death, Bambi-Birthday, sunshinelexi, Sasuke's Pal and Shizuka Taiyou**__..._

_Thanks a lot, you guys rock!_

_Chapter 5 will be uploaded soon, so please don't start hating us, okay?_

_**Want to play?**_


	5. Behind The Darkness

'_Let's quit this story.' She told me, staring gloomily at the battered old notebook. 'It's such a cruel story. Let's erase it, so no one else may read it. I just can't stand the guilt any more.'_

_I didn't want to quit, not this story. Not **my**story. But the thing is… we're a team, we might be good together, but not individually. So I decided, in the end, to just drop it. To write a drama or whatever they wanted. I would have done it if it weren't for our wonderful readers, who practically went on a rampage after they heard our decision._

_So for all of you, my sick, twisted followers, here's chapter five, where things aren't only getting worse, they're getting **unbearable.**_

**Chapter Five**

**xX Behind The Darkness Xx**

What is a game?

… That's an easy question.

A game is amusement, it's diversion. Something that's supposed to be fun and entertaining.

Yes… that's what a game is.

It is not running for your life. It is not fearing every step. It is not suffering nor despair.

It's not metal walls and concrete floors, dim lighting and deathly traps. It is not a nightmare come true, where all the fun and entertainment are meant for someone else.

"Are you ever going to stop staring at me?" Itachi asked.

"No." Sasuke answered as he walked behind him. "I know you're the ones behind this, so why don't you just quit acting and tell us what you want already?"

"I keep telling you, this isn't our doing."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Please, we just went through that last round together. We all played for our lives, so that should be proof enough that…"

"That proves nothing!" Sasuke cut him off. "Yeah, I saw you playing that round. Want to know what else I saw? I saw all six of you walking safely to the other side while it was one of us who died in those pits! That's all the proof I need!"

"Your friend lost her balance because of her shoes." Itachi reminded him. "You can't blame us for that."

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something but, finding no good comeback, he closed it again.

Itachi was right, Ino's death had been but an accident. A really horrible and unfortunate accident.

Still, not being able to blame the Akatsuki didn't necessarily meant he could trust them.

"Sakura." He called his teammate.

"Yes?"

"Take the heels off your shoes." He told her. Both because it was dangerous, and because the echo of her steps made the situation eerier than it already was.

Never known to ignore Sasuke's voice, Sakura quickly did as she was told and snapped the 3 inch heel pieces off her black shoes. She wished she had done it sooner, because at this point they had walked so much that her feet were sore and blistery.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked concerned.

"Yeah." She lied, pasting a fake smile on her face. "I'm all right."

But she was definitely not all right.

She was tired, weak, hungry, shaky, thirsty, sad, horrified, her eyes were swollen for crying so much and her feet hurt like hell. All she wanted to do was lay down and burst into tears.

She wanted to cry out of pain because of her feet and out of grief for the friends they'd lost on the way. But more than anything, she wanted to cry out of despair, because she knew that there was no one out there who would come to rescue them.

_**Subliminal****Message.-**For all those of you who haven't noticed, the unnecessary author notes in Chapter 4 have been replaced by a real chapter ("The Lost Children" It's called) and you just **have**to read it or else you won't understand many of the following events._

_And while you're at it, don't forget to review that one as well!_

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"Doesn't this hallway ever end?" Naruto asked. "We've been walking for hours and it just keeps going straight!"

"40 minutes." Shino corrected.

"Huh?"

"Not hours, it's only been 40 minutes."

"Whatever!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "My point is that we're not getting anywhere! I don't know about you, but I'm tired, I'm hungry and to top things up, I think I'm going blind!" He squinted at the never ending hallway before him, but darkness was the only thing that he could see.

"You're not going blind idiot." Kisame grumbled. "It's just that there are no lights ahead."

He was right, the lights in the hallway had been dimming so gradually that it was hard to notice at first, but surely even the dumb blond should be able to notice that the lights were completely gone in the direction they were heading.

"Oh, no." Shikamaru grimaced. "This looks like another round."

"You're right." Naruto stared nervously at the darkness before them. "I bet there'll be scorpions on the walls or something like that."

"What's wrong Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked, noticing that he had been rubbing his nose and sniffing the air for a while.

"Nothing, it's just …" He rubbed his nose again. "My sense of smell is failing."

"You can't smell anymore?" She gasped.

"No, I can still do that. It's just that… I'm picking up something strange." He sniffed the air again. "I smell things that shouldn't be here."

"What kind of things?" Shino asked.

"Well… I know it's ridiculous, but I think I smell…" He was then interrupted by Sasuke announcing the discovery of a new note.

Too bad… They should have let him finish that sentence, as ridiculous at it might have been.

"Strange…" Sasuke read the note and turned it over, expecting to find something else written on the back. "There's something odd about this note."

"They've all been odd so far."

"I know, but this one's… just listen.-

'**You saw them then, you said good bye.**

**See them now for the last chance.'**

"And your point is…" Hidan tilted his head.

"My point is that this note has no meaning to it." Sasuke searched his pockets and pulled out the first two notes. "The other ones have instructions like 'run fast' or 'careful where you step'. This note is different, there is no warning in it."

"Well, this is the third round. It's bound to get more complicated every time." Sasori told him.

"But not to you, right?" Sasuke frowned. "It's never hard for any of you because you already know what's going to happen."

"There you go again." Itachi sighed. "Do you honestly believe that we would go to such lengths just to kill you? We have better things to do than…"

"Guys!" Naruto shout. "There's someone over there!"

"What?"

"I saw someone moving, I swear!"

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I'm telling you I…"

Hurried footsteps were suddenly heard ahead. It sounded as if someone were running away from them.

"Hey, stop!" Sasuke was about to run into the patch of darkness when he was abruptly stopped by Kiba's hand.

"No, don't go in there." He begged. All the color seemed to have drained off his face and he was now a ghostly pale. "Seriously dude, **don****'**t go in there."

"W-what…"

"Shhhh." Itachi held up his hand for silence. "Listen."

_Tap… flap… tap… tap… flap, tap… tap…_

"What's that?"

_Flap… tap, flap…_

Slow, uneven footsteps coming from the darkness. Whatever was in there could not possibly be human.

… or could it?

"Get ready guys."

Kiba took a step back.

"Something's coming."

Another step back, then another.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata turned to look at him. He was shaking from head to toe and his eyes held a look of absolute horror.

"This… this is… no, it's not… it can't be real, it's not… real… it's not…" He covered his eyes, as if trying to block the whole scene away. As if not being able to see them could somehow make them any less real.

But even if he did that, there was no way he could fool his nose. Not even the penetrating stench of blood could hide their distinctive smell.

"What's going on?" Shino asked him.

"They shouldn't be here." He shook his head. "**We**shouldn't be here. Let's get out of here, let's go back before…"

"Damn, we don't have time for this!" Shikamaru walked to him, turning his back to the darkness even though the footsteps were closer by the second. "We could have stayed where we were, but you wanted to continue. We're here because of you, so get it together already!"

"You would be scared too! You would be scared if you knew what's in there!"

"If I knew what's in there? Where were you during those last two rounds? Did you not see what happened to Ino and Tenten? There's nothing in there or anywhere that can be worse than having your friends murdered before your eyes!"

"There is." Kiba answered in a choked whisper.

"Shi-ka…" A familiar voice, followed by gasps and expressions of disbelief.

He didn't have to ask who was standing behind him or why there was such horror on everyone's face.

All he had to do was turn around and look at her.

"No way…"

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_Ok, here's the catch.- 6 reviews or no upload. I've said!_

_**Want to Play?**_


	6. Those Who Departed

_**Warning!**Though it **might** not exactly be what you call "scary", I still wouldn't recommend reading it at night._

_Yeah, se we creped ourselves out while writing it, got a problem with that?_

**Chapter Six**

**xX Those Who Departed Xx**

"No way…" Kiba was right, there **was**something worse. "Ino?"

He couldn't see her face clearly from where he was standing, but he could have recognized her anywhere. She was his teammate after all.

His heart jumped for joy and for a second, he was tempted to run to her and help her. Still, he had always followed his logic over his heart, so the feeling of happiness and relief was quickly replaced by fear and doubt because he knew, just like everyone else, that something like that could not be possible.

He'd seen her loose that round. He'd seen her falling.

He knew it wasn't possible because her scream still rang in his ears and the sight of Ino's impaled body was something he could never forget.

That person, whoever it was, could not be Ino.

Ino was dead. He knew it.

"Shi-ka…" The impostor repeated. She took a step forward and the gloomy light revealed the true grotesqueness of the scene.

He'd known this game was sick ever since they'd found the first note and had learned how twisted it was after the first death. But as he stared at the bloodied holes that the wooden stakes had left in Ino's body, it became clear that whoever was doing this no longer possessed a human soul.

So it **was**Ino after all. Or at least, what was left of her.

A reanimated body. A sin against nature. She'd been reduced to a blank faced marionette, with no life and no soul.

"Oh Ino…" He sobbed.

Poor, dead Ino, forced to drag her lifeless body through the darkness in order to please a perverse desire.

_Tap__… __flap__… _She stumbled forward. Either because her left shoe was broken or because her perforated body couldn't hold itself up any longer.

Could this really get worse? They all wondered.

The answer, they knew, was "no". This game could not hold so much cruelty.

At least that's what they thought before the second figure appeared.

"What the…" If Ino had been greeted with gasps and surprise, this other creature received nothing but suppressed screams.

But… what was that thing anyways? It looked as though it might have been human once, but had been half-digested before being rescued from the stomach of some giant beast that had swallowed it whole.

There was no skin on it, just flesh. Bloody, sickening, foul smelling flesh that seemed to be falling apart with each step it took.

_Tap__… __tap__… _What was that? _Tap__… __tap__… _The sound of the creature's steps but… how could it make such a sound?

Were those **heels**it was wearing?

And it was at this point that they learned one of the most important rules of the game.- No matter how bad things might seem, they can **always**get worse.

The girls screamed, yes they did. The boys looked away, unable to understand who could hate them so much as to do this.

Bringing Ino back from the grave had been one thing but this… there were just no words to describe this.

'_Tap__… __tap__…' _It kept advancing. It's empty sockets, where eyes should be, appeared to be fixed on one specific person.

"N… ee…" It murmured weakly, as if its malformed mouth could not properly articulate the words.

Even so, he knew she was calling him. Knew she was repeating the last word she'd said.

"Ne… ee…" It said his name again, or at least tried to, but that guttural sound did not resemble her voice.

It wasn't her face either, this thing didn't even have a face. Just a rostriform piece of gory flesh at the front of its head.

Rather than her, it looked more like some sinister work of art, with mince meat instead of clay to shape its body, and real teeth and hair for decoration.

Neji stood gaping at her, his feet rooted on the spot. Whether it was horror that he felt, or pity, or a combination of both, he was never quite sure.

All he knew was that, butchered and broken though she was, he couldn't just leave her there. After all, it was his fault that she had died. **His**alone, because he couldn't het to her in time.

Many times since she'd died he had wished for a second chance, an opportunity to help her and somehow ease the consuming guilt that grew inside him with each step.

This was it, the chance he had asked for. Here she was, right before him. Gory, half putrid and deformed beyond recognition… but still her.

"Te…Tenten…" His breath caught as the creature that used to be her came within two meters from him.

There she staid and refused to move, almost as if she were afraid of coming any closer. Then slowly, clumsily, she reached out her hand to him.

She might as well have stabbed him in the heart, it would have hurt less.

'_Neji!__' _The echo of her scream rang in his ears again and he could see, in vivid memory, the needle going through her head.

Her blood splattering against the walls.

"Forgive me…" He said, and his voice came out so thin and broken that he was hardly sure she'd heard him. "Please forgive me."

He took a step forward and was about to reach his hand towards hers when he was suddenly pulled back.

"Don't touch her!" Sasuke warned.

"What?"

"Back away!" He shout at her. "Go back! Leave us alone!"

"What are you doing?" Neji demanded.

"She's trying to trick you, don't you realize? Go near her and she'll tear you to pieces."

"She won't she just…" And here he turned to look at her again.

She'd been monstrously hideous since she'd stepped out of the darkness but now, obviously loathing Sasuke's words, the remnants of her features had twisted into a threatening expression.

There was something fiendish and unnatural about it. Something not human.

Fear assaulted him again, a fear even greater than before.

What was this thing?

This **thing**!

It was not Tenten, that was obviously impossible. This was just what the needles had spared, gathered and put back together to form this decadent after image.

Sasuke was right, it was all a trick but he had been too blinded by guilt to realize it before.

"Go away!" Sasuke shout again, louder this time.

A low sort of hiss escaped her mouth but, aside from that, she did nothing but to take a few steps back.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shrieked suddenly.

He didn't realize it until it was too late. He'd been so focused on Tenten that he had completely forgotten about Ino.

With her hands thrust forward and a blood-curling howl that might as well have belonged to an animal, Ino pounced on him.

He had no time to move, not even to think. He could only gape at her bloodied nails as they closed in on his face, already feeling them digging in his skin.

But Ino's attack didn't so much as graze him.

Of what had happened, he had no idea. One second he'd been staring dumbfounded at her, the next he lay on the floor with a thorn sleeve and an ugly gash, but still alive.

After a few seconds of numb stupidity he finally realized why he was still unharmed. Someone had pushed him aside yet, in his attempt to save him, had placed himself in danger's way.

But who could have done such a thing? Naruto? Of course, it had to be him.

Who else could be so stupid? Who else would care so much?

"Get her off me!" That voice… no, it couldn't be.

He turned his head quickly so his eyes would show him what his mind refused to believe.

Itachi laid there. Ino had tackled him to the ground and was now on top of him clawing viciously at his face.

"Get her off!" He called again. Maybe he was too weak by now, or it could have been that some evil thing had given her over-human strength, but either way he could hardly hold her back.

He struggled to keep her hands away from his face but she still managed to claw off shreds of his skin while hoarse, demon-like howls escaped her throat.

Amid a haze of blood and blond hair, he saw Kisame walk behind Ino and try to jerk her away, but it didn't do much good. With a brutal hit, she sent Kisame flying away and he crashed hard against the wall's metal plates.

Itachi tried to use the confusion to get to his feet, but he was pinned back to the ground, this time by Tenten.

Ino joined in quickly, both of them aiming for his face.

Without chakra or (in most cases) proper weapons, there wasn't much the rest could do aside from trying to pull them away from him but that, they soon learned, was of little or no help at all.

Again and again they were knocked back. Even worse, the brutality of their attack grew with each attempt they made to save him.

Kisame, however, wasn't about to give up yet. As he got to his feet after being slammed against the wall for the second time in less than 30 seconds, he decided enough was enough.

Cursing loudly, he swung Samehada over his head and held it with both hands, ready to strike.

"Move aside!" He shout to the others.

There was an instant shuffling of feet as the others darted out of the way. Judging by the fire burning in Kisame's eye, it was going to be a skull shattering hit and no one wanted to be on the other end of the sword when it came down.

"Aaaaaargh!" Kisame roared. Down came Samehada, whistling through the air.

The blow caught Ino right under her chest. A soft _'__whoof__' _escaped her lips as the air was knocked out of her and she flew back, crashing hard against the wall and bouncing over to the floor, where she twitched and quivered but didn't get up again.

Up went Samehada again, this time aimed towards Tenten. Itachi still struggled against her and was now screaming horribly.

Kisame couldn't see what was going on, there was too much blood and confusion, but by the sound of it, he could tell Itachi was badly injured.

Gripping the hilt of his sword as hard as he could, Kisame delivered a savage blow straight at Tenten's head. He had intended to knock her out with that, so he was more than surprised when, instead of cracking, her head came off with a sickening smacking sound.

Actually, not all of her head came off, just a big chunk at the upper right side where Samehada had hit. It rose into the air, flying before the horrified eyes of the ninja, then landed with a wet, squishy _'__plop!__'_

"Holly shit!" Gasped Kisame. There was now a big gap on Tenten's head and he could see, quite clearly, that his eyes had not deceived him.

Inside there were no bones, no brain. Only shattered bits of flesh and bone splinters, held together by gore and some black oozing liquid. Just as he had thought, mince meat was all that was left.

Distracted by his terror, he hadn't even noticed that Tenten had stopped moving. Her mutilated arms hung limply at her sides and her half destroyed head was thrown back.

Itachi threw his hands over his face. He was no longer screaming but it was obvious that he was struggling to hold back his pain.

Kisame stared hard at Tenten's unmoving figure and for a moment, he thought the danger had passed. He took a hesitant step towards Itachi, but flinched when the foul corpse threw its head forward with a shot groan.

Shaking from head to toe, he watched in shear terror as the creature began hauling itself up.

Slowly, she got to her feet, her head and arms dangling lifelessly form side to side.

"H-hit her again!" Hidan shout desperately. "Don't let her get up!"

But Kisame could not, he was frozen in place. All he could do was stare unblinkingly as Tenten stepped over Itachi and slowly made her way towards him.

Even if he used his sword, the hit would be as useless as the last one. How could he defeat her, if he couldn't bring her down? How could he kill something that was already dead?

"Guu… urrgh…" She groaned. It was hard to describe, but her voice sounded… gelatinous…

What served her as a mouth (a dark void of jagged teeth) opened slowly and from deep inside her chest erupted a howl so sinister it made their hairs stand on end. It was a sound no earthly creature could possibly make.

With a horror greater than he'd ever felt, Kisame stared at her unmoving. The rotting flesh, the gaping mouth, the blood curling howl… she was like a creature straight out of a nightmare.

"S-stay away!" Blinded by fear, Kisame tried to stop her advance in the only way he could think of. Rising Samehada again, he landed a blow on her jaw which, just like before, went flying away and landed with a wet sound.

Even so, that didn't stop her. She kept staggering towards him, falling to pieces in her way.

"A-ahhh!" Once again the giant sword came down, this time knocking her head off completely.

As it hit the ground, the head exploded like a water filled balloon, sending pieces flying in every direction.

"Kyaaaaahhh!" Sakura squealed as a big blob landed on her shoe. "Stop it!" She begged while covering her eyes.

Kisame didn't stop.

He kept aiming at her, hacking and slicing as fast as he could until she was no more than scattered pieces of raw meat.

All that bloody chaos of grinded meat and bones, it was hard to tell it had once been human.

Silence fell, either out of respect or horror towards the scene. Then, from a dark corner, came a weak and shattered voice.

"Your hair is so… be-beautiful…"

Ino!

She laid there on her knees, blinking at them through hazy eyes as though she'd just come out of a deep slumber. All the anger and viciousness had disappeared from her features so now, instead of threatening, she appeared rather defenseless.

"One more to go!" Kisame shout as he readied his sword.

"Nooooo!" Sakura cried out as she clang to Kisame's arm to prevent him form hurting Ino.

"'Da hell are you doing?" Kisame spat furiously.

Obviously he didn't get it. He obviously wasn't looking into Ino's eyes like she was.

Glassy and lifeless they'd been when she had stepped out of the darkness. The blank eyes of a cadaver. Now, however, there was fear in them, along with a glint of recognition. If even for a brief moment, she was herself again.

Angrily, Kisame yanked his arm away from Sakura's grasp and lowered his sword to the ground.

"Suit yourself!" He sneered as he walked to Itachi. "Just don't come crying to me when you have her on top of you."

Either Sakura didn't listen or she just didn't care, because despite Kisame's warning and the danger alarm that rang in her head, she walked to Ino and kneeled down next to her.

"Sa…ku-ra?" Ino squinted at her.

Sakura tried her best to keep a straight face, but at the mention of her name, she couldn't fight back her tears any longer.

"Hey…" She flinched when Ino reached out a hand to her face, but instead of hurting her she merely wiped off her tears. "Don't start crying again…" Ino smiled sadly. "You cry baby…"

"Oh Ino!" She sobbed and threw her arms around her neck. "Ino…"

Sakura clang desperately to her, afraid that if she let go she could be taken away again. Unable to control herself any longer she squeezed her eyes shut and started crying out loud. She cried out of relief to have her back and out of longing for the old days in which they would go out and pick flowers together and yet, above all, she cried for despair because she knew that Ino could not stay with her.

"Sakura…" Ino sobbed. The fact that her dead friend was crying only made her cry even harder. "I'm sorry…"

When Ino clang to her black witch's cloak Sakura tightened the embrace even more, not caring that the dried blood from Ino's wounds was rubbing off on her.

"Please…" She whispered into her ear. "Please help me Sakura."

"What?" Sakura pulled away to look her friend in the eyes. "What's wrong Ino?"

"They're calling me again." She sobbed. "I don't want to go back there! Please don't let them take me there again!"

"Who Ino? Who are they?"

Ino shook her head.

"You mean there's more than one of them? Where are they? Ino you must tell me, where are they?"

"Oh, no!" Ino gasped. "It's happening again. Please don't let them take me."

Sakura reached out for her hand, but Ino pulled it away and backed over to the wall. Her eyes wide with fear she looked over to where Itachi laid covering his face while Kisame tried to help him and more tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry…" She closed her eyes.

"Don't say that, it's not your fault."

But Ino didn't get a chance to hear her. When she opened her eyes again, her stare was blank and lifeless.

"Shi-ka…" Came the empty reply as she got to her feet. Her movements were awkward and rigid, as if she were a puppet on strings.

"Fuck!" Kisame cursed as he looked at Itachi's face. Whatever he had seen they didn't know yet, but judging by his reaction it was something severe.

With an ear-splitting roar, he lunged at Ino while the bandages around his sword went loose, revealing its true skin-grating form.

"Noooo!" Sakura shrieked, but her voice was drowned under Kisame's clamorous war cry.

The sword master readied his weapon to deliver the final blow that would end the battle once and for all but he was too late, because right before he could reach her, Ino took a step back and disappeared through the wall.

'_Clang!__' _Samehada bounced against the wall which, at least to Kisame, felt pretty much solid and real.

"What the…" Kisame dropped his sword and frantically searched the wall with his hands but there was no door there that she could have gone through. "Did she just… walk through the wall?"

"The same thing happened when she fell in those pits." Shikamaru remembered. "It must be some sort of Genjutsu."

"Is he alright?" Sasuke asked as he noticed the blood running down Itachi's face, which he was trying to hide behind his wounded hands.

"No." Kisame grinded his teeth. "Those things, they…"

He didn't finish that sentence because just then Itachi uncovered his face to show that even though he had managed to survive the round, the consequences were just as bad or even worse.

Sure… he had annihilated his whole clan.

True… he had condemned him to a life of hatred and misery and yes, sure enough, taking revenge on him had become the most important (if not the only) goal in his life.

Bringing him down, humiliating him and destroying those horrible eyes of his. It was all part of his plan and he would have enjoyed it, of course he would have, if only the circumstances were different.

But standing where he was now, gaping at the bloody, empty sockets where Itachi's eyes used to be and knowing that it would have been **his**fate had Itachi not pushed him out of the way, he momentarily forgot about everything else.

And even though he had referred to him as nothing else but "bastard" all those years, the word that burst out of his mouth was issued before he even realized it.

"Onii-san!"

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten.- Another amazing chapter. Am I a genius or what?_

_Vianey.- Excuse me miss Genius. We helped too, remember?_

_Glacia.- And because of that, you keep getting reviews._

_Ten.- Big deal, I only got 7!_

_Glacia.- But you asked for 6, that's 1 more than you bargained for!_

_Ten.- That was before I saw that story that has 24 chapters and over 700 reviews. I want 700 reviews!_

_Vianey.- Are you kidding? "Sasuke's Twin" was our most reviewed story and even then it only got 200 reviews for 26 chapters. That's less than 8 reviews per chapter._

_Ten.- So what? This isn't "Sasuke's Twin" this is "Game of Fear". I want 700 reviews, I want them!_

_Glacia.- You are hopeless AND spoiled. You know it is impossible for us to get so many._

_Ten. It's not! We've got 659 hits already so there are a lot of people readin' this, they're just too lazy to review which is too bad for them because I won't upload until I've gotten at least 10 reviews!_

_Vianey.- Say what?_

_Glacia.- Are you out of your mind? That's impossible!_

_Ten.- Well, the Game Master appears on the next chapter, so if they want to meet him, they'll have to review. Remember, anonymous reviews as well as multiple reviews are welcome, so you better start!_

_Glacia.- Stupid, nonsensical, idiotic…_

_Ten.- I've said!_

_**Want to Play?**_


	7. Game Master

_Ahh… 10 reviews, see. And did it kill you to review?_

_Well, if it did, then sorry. Though if you're dead you can't really read this so… Anyways! I'd like to thank the following .-_

_**Alita 'n' Emily, silverokami2009, , afrodude, 0.O, redfox-akatsuki, Lulusi227, Osiris Gainsborough, Bambi Birthday, sunshinelexi, XX Kaiko-Chan XX, Shizuka Taiyou, yuki973, Devil's Blade, MidnightNinja777, whatsername810, Animelover1112, lulla, Miss Peppy Red Head and OMG POOR ITACHI**_

_And a special thanks goes to **FlyPandaBear, KibaHinaLUV** and their friends, for telling their friends about this story._

_You guys are the best!_

_And now… what?... a disclaimer? What do I need a disclaimer for? If I owned Naruto then all the cute guys would always be shirtless and Sasuke would have run off with me instead of Oro… Serious? Ok, fine!_

_**Disclaimer.- **I don't, don't, don't own Naruto! You happy now?... Yeah, you too Glacia!_

**Chapter Seven**

**xX Game Master Xx**

"Guys!" Came the sudden cry. "There's someone over there!"

'_Oh, shit.' _He gritted his teeth. _'That kid saw me.'_

Forming the last seal for the Reanimation Jutsu, he turned on his heels and ran the opposite way.

"Hey, stop!"

'_As if.' _He smiled to himself.

If it were up to him, he'd stay… at least until the screaming began. But venturing out of the Master's chamber to set the reanimations in action was already risking too much and he had almost been seen, so staying there longer than necessary would have been like suicide.

But who was he afraid of? The players?

Of course not.

Even if they found him, they wouldn't stand a chance with their limited amounts of chakra. Besides, their destiny had already been set.

It was the Game Master he was afraid of. Him, and all those who had helped him build this place.

The perfect board for the "Game of Fear".

If he screwed up, if he changed the course of the game in any form, then the master would be displeased and upsetting the master was the last thing he wanted.

So he ran, as fast as he could. He ran through the darkness and beyond it, where the dim lights still shone awaiting the survivors of the dreaded third round.

The hallway went straight for the first two miles, then it took a turn to the left where, after running another mile, he found the giant metal doors that led to the fourth round.

He stopped before them and smiled to himself as he imagined what the loser would look like. Surely they wouldn't be prepared for what awaited behind those heavy gray doors.

But the fourth round could wait. Right now he had to go back as soon as possible or else he would completely miss the current round.

"One, two…" He counted as he stepped back from the door. "… five, six, seven!"

With this he slammed his shoulder against the wall to his right and the metal plates there crumbled like plaster, revealing a narrow, dirt-floored passage.

He stepped through the wall before it began repairing itself, then he sprinted through the twisting passage until he reached the high-ceiling cavern to which all the other secret paths were connected.

He walked to the far end of the cavern, where he found the stairs that led up to the Master's chamber. Here he was forced to slow down his pace since the uneven steps, carved on the rock wall itself, would not allow him to go any faster without stumbling and breaking his neck.

After climbing over 200 steps and losing his balance more than once, he finally reached the top and headed for the door to his left. He tried to go unnoticed, but even so all heads turned his way as soon as he had opened the door.

Six glaring pairs of eyes, all staring accusingly at him.

"What just happened back there?" She demanded instantly.

"I just…" He shrugged as he stepped inside the roughly-built, dungeon-like chamber.

"You were almost seen!" She said dramatically.

He couldn't see her face since she was just a dark silhouette casted by the dim light from the innumerable monitors set on the walls, but it wasn't hard to imagine what her expression might be at this time.

"**Almost**." He empathized the word. "Its not as if they'd actually seen me or any…"

"That's not the point!" She spat. "You could have ruined the game! If they had caught you then all our fun would have been over and…"

"Enough." Came a quiet voice from somewhere in the room. "I can't hear well with all this shouting."

The Master's voice, though it was not high or threatening, was enough to remind her that she was NOT the one in charge. Still, it was not enough to shut her up for good.

"Sorry Master." She apologized softly. "It's just that he screwed up real bad and almost ruined your game. You shouldn't have to put up with this, should you?" She walked behind his chair and lowered her head next to his. "Let's feed him to the beasts, why don't we? That way we won't have to worry about him screwing up any further."

The Master heard all of this and chuckled, which made his blood chill.

"My dear…" He blinked at her. "I decide who the players are, not you. Don't make me remind you this again."

"…" Quietly she went back to her chair and slumped there, staring bitterly at the cruel scene that played in one of the monitors.

Rule number one of this game.- All lives are in the Master's hands, not yours.

Rule number two of this game.- All lives are in the Master's hands, even yours.

Even though he was still a bit shaken, he couldn't help but to smirk. A smirk that, unfortunately for him, didn't last long.

"Ooooohhh!" Shouted one of his crew. "That's some bad shit!"

He turned his eyes towards the monitor they were all watching, just in time to see one of his "dolls" being partially beheaded.

"Ooowch!" Came the collective cry, as if they were watching a soccer game rather than human mutilation.

'_Come on.' _He mentally willed her to move since the second one was not responding, even though she was "supposed" to be more functional. _'Don't do this to me.'_

When he finally got her to move, he dared think that it would turn out okay, but it only got worse.

He watched in horror as his creation was completely beheaded, then reduced to a pulp and then, when it all seemed to have finished, the worst happened.

His last reanimation got her memories back.

"Call her." The Master hissed as he got up to leave the rom. "And meet me at the lab once you get her back."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"I'm so sorry Master." He apologized as he kneeled on the floor next to his now-completely-useless doll. "I swear I used the normal procedure, I don't know what went wrong."

"Well, that's the problem with reanimations." The Master sighed. "Unless you completely destroy their memories, they always end up remembering who they were. I'm just surprised this one remembered so fast."

"Same I was thinking. I didn't have any trouble with the other one since she no longer had a brain, but this one seemed reluctant to forget. She put up quite a fight when I called her back, too."

"Well, it was a minor slip, so let's forget it for now."

"Thank you Master." He bowed his head gratefully. "I promise I won't fail again."

"Well… no one died in this round so I AM kind of disappointed." He knelt next to her and checked her hands. "But I did get something I wanted, so it wasn't a complete failure."

"Something you wanted?"

For all answers, the Master just smirked, then he walked to one of the experiment tables where a small body laid under a blood-stained white sheet.

"Tell me about the guide. Is she ready yet?"

"No, not yet." He got up and stood next to the table. "I've finished retrieving her old memories, but it's not easy to implant new ones and since she's meant to serve as a guide and answer questions, I still need to…"

"When **will** she be finished? Give me a date."

"Uh… two days Master." He gulped. "Three days tops. She'll be ready then."

"Hmm… sounds well. I'll need to do some changes in the game then." He turned around and headed for the door.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"What should I do with **her**?" He looked over to the blond corpse that laid sprawled on the floor.

"Ugh." He wrinkled his nose at her. "Take anything you might need and feed the rest to the beasts. And make sure the guide is fun to watch and functional, I don't need any more mistakes."

"Yes Master." He bowed as the Game Master closed the lab door behind him.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Vianey.- Oh, that guide better not be who I think it is!_

_Ten.- Oh yes, she is. I asked her and she agreed right away. The conditions are that she won't have to send any more videos or write any dialogs, which is fine for me since that is mainly Fubuki's job._

_Glacia.- My job, yes. But I could use some help too, you know?_

_Ten.- Oops, I'm not listening!_

_Vianey.- So, what ridiculous amount of reviews are you going to ask for this time?_

_Ten.- Well, this is chapter 7 and it was really short, so I guess 7 will be okay. I just need to buy some time to finish chapter 8, which I still need to start… heh,heh._

_**Want to Play?**_


	8. Quitters And Losers

_And so it was that, after several threats of being fired, excessive working hours without a raise and, yes, I'm saying it, a proposal that was beyond sexual harassment, my beloved co-writer decided to finally quit her job._

_Just as well for me because she has more time now to help us finish the story and since she has so much wrath inside, we have succeeded in writing the cruelest chapter yet._

_So now I will take off my hat for Alita 'n' Emily, who won 1st place in the "Obnoxious Contest" and got to pick this chapter's victim and cause of death (Visit our profile to get the link to the gallery). And also an acknowledgement to my co-writers, for making this chapter so epic._

_Enjoy! … ?_

**Chapter Eight**

**xX Quitters And Losers Xx**

"Lee-san." Sakura held out her hand. "I need another one, please."

"Sure." Lee answered as he unwrapped another bandage from his arm. "And you all said my costume was ridiculous." He said bitterly. "Who's laughing now?"

"Not me." Kisame groaned. "Now I've been left without a partner."

"Lay off." Deidara rolled his eyes. "Pein will surely assign you that newbie… what's his name again? Oh, yeah. Tobi."

"Tobi? Hell no! You take Tobi, I'll go with Sasori!"

"In that case, I'd much rather go with Itachi, blind or not."

"I'm still here." Itachi reminded them weakly as he lifted a hand to his heavily bandaged eyes. "And if you think this is going to stop me, your head is emptier than I thought."

"Get over yourself Itachi." Hidan chuckled. "You can't see, you can't walk and you ain't gonna slow me down either. I'd rather be on my own that…"

"You would seriously leave him behind?" Sakura scolded. "How low can you Akatsuki go?"

"Keep your mouth shut bitch, or I'll stick my…"

"Hey!" Naruto broke in. "You call her that again and I'll kick your ass!"

With a swift movement Hidan pulled out his double bladed scythe and point it at Naruto.

"Same goes for you, fox boy. Keep it down or I'll have your head rolling at my feet."

"Think you're so cool, huh?" Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Where was that scythe when we needed it? I didn't see you helping at all back then."

"Of course I didn't!" He replied indignant. "I wasn't gonna offer some rottin' corpses to Jashin-Sama. You, on the other side, would make a perfect…"

"Put that down already Hidan!" Kakuzu growled as he snatched the scythe off Hidan's hand. "We can't afford to loose any of them."

"Why not? Don't tell me you're friends with them now."

"Your stupidity has not limits, has it?" He rolled his eyes. "This isn't sympathy, its mere strategy."

"Strategy?"

"Of course." Shikamaru broke in. "I'd been wondering why you still played next to us, but the answer is obvious. The more players there are, the less risk you'll have of loosing, right?"

"Correct." Kakuzu answered as he thrust the scythe against Hidan's chest. "Now put that away and don't use it unless it's necessary."

"You can't tell me what to do!" Hidan stomped his foot like little child. "I can play this whole game on my own, it's not like I could **actually **be killed!"

"Oh, really?" Kakuzu glared at him. "And what good would your immortality be if you get your arms and legs cut off? You need me to put you back together."

"I hate you…" Hidan growled, but he put the scythe away.

"Well, if you're done discussing our "alliance"…" Itachi struggled to his feet. "I'd like to get this done as soon as possible."

"But you've lost too much blood." Sakura protested, somehow feeling guilty for his condition. "You should rest a while and then…"

"It's all right." Itachi cut her short. "Thank you for your concern… and for taking care of me." Once again he lift his hand to his eyes. "But like Kakuzu said, this is mere strategy. We're not friends or anything, we simply play together."

"Understood…" Sakura nodded. Concern stirred inside her but she knew Itachi was right, they weren't friends and they never would be. So all she did was stare after him as he made his way through the endless hallway.

The rest followed him wearily.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Don't want too much salsa on my tacos, so let's get to the point._

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"I suppose…" Sasuke said as they stood before the giant metal doors. "That this is where the fourth round begins."

They all stared up at the two giant-sized metal doors before them. They stood wide open as if silently inviting (or daring) them to step through.

Beyond them, numerous smaller doors had been placed evenly apart in a circular room with blindingly white walls.

The full light coming from inside the room was so different from their gloomy hallway that it made their eyes sting.

"Do we really have to go in there?" Naruto gulped.

"I don't think we have a choice." Sasuke answered as he scanned the room with his eyes.

There had to be a note there as well, but he hadn't seen it yet.

He hesitated for a moment, then carefully stepped in, if there was a trap hidden in there, he didn't want it to take him by surprise.

When he reached the center of the room and it was clear that both floor and ceiling wouldn't suddenly collapse, the rest of the players stepped in as well.

"Over here." Sakura tugged at Itachi's sleeve.

"I know." He said drily. "I don't really need my eyes to move around, so stop your pity already. I don't need it."

"But I…" Great! Here she was, just trying to be kind and he completely ignores it!

"Creepy…" Kiba mumbled as he eyed the numerous smaller doors.

Just like the entrance doors they'd been left wide open, except that instead of an exit, they only led to small, closet-sized rooms. Even squishing against one another, three persons could barely fit in.

He examined the tiny window on top of a door and was just wondering what they could be for when the entrance doors swung back and slammed themselves shut.

However, no one gasped or cringed this time. It was something they'd already grown used to. The only thing that surprised them was the note stuck to the back of one of the doors.

As usual, it was Sasuke who stepped forward to get the note and read it out loud.

'**Welcome all to the fourth round,**

**How lucky you are to have made it this far.**

**Pick a door, whichever you like,**

**And let's hope your luck has not run out.'**

"Pick a door?" Naruto chewed on his thumb nail. "I've never been good at this, I always pulled out the shortest straw in the bunch!"

"I wonder how many…" Shikamaru mumbled under his breath. "One, two, three…"

"But they lead nowhere, what's the point in choosing one?"

"Four, five, six…"

"How do we know it's not a trap?"

"Seven, eight, nine…"

"Oh, it **is **a trap. That much you can be certain of."

"Ten, eleven, twelve…" he kept on counting, though he could already guess how many doors there were in total. "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen… so that's how it is."

"But how can we be sure there's not a trap in each of them? What if we all die in this round?"

"You can stop worrying about that, it's not going to happen." Shikamaru announced.

"And you know that because…" Kiba raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"Look around, for Christ's sake. There are sixteen of us and only fifteen doors."

"So that means exactly what?"

"Think back to when this game began, there were twelve of us and then we found the Akatsuki, who are six. Twelve plus six would make us eighteen, but we've been through three rounds in which we lost two persons. If Itachi had lost that last round then there would only be fifteen of us. Fifteen players, fifteen doors."

"N-No way… you mean…"

"The game is designed to kill one of us each round. The choices we take are the ones that decide whether we live or die. If we think about it that way, we are barely thrusting in luck to save our lives."

"So right now there is a chance among fifteen of being the loser." Sasuke sighed. " The "Game of Fear" no doubt."

"Then… how do…" Sakura looked around at the doors, then her eyes stopped on the sealed entrance, hoping desperately that it could somehow open again and let her escape. Then she realized… she had no place to escape to… "What do we do now?"

"Just do as the note instructs." He walked to the third door to the left and stepped into the claustrophobic room. He tired his best to appear brave and not let his knees buckle, but this fear still showed as he refused to close the door once he was inside. "Pick any door you want and let us start praying."

Start praying? For what?

Pray that you shall not be the loser.

Pray that it's not you best friend.

Pray that your death be swift, in case you choose the wrong one.

"I don't… I DON'T…" Just in time, Chouji began to panic. "I don't want to play anymore!"

"Chouji…"

"I want to quit, I resign! You hear me?" He shout to the walls as if he were talking to a living thing.

"Chouji, clam down!"

"Dude, what are you talking about?"

He could tell everyone was looking at him but he didn't care.

The rest just stared at him as though he'd suddenly grown an extra head.

"You can't quit, you know that! If such thing was possible, then none of us would be…!

"I'm not going in there, you can't make me! You, the ones up there, you hear me? I'M DROPPING OUT!"

DROPPING OUT!

OUT!

Out!

Out

…

Chouji's desperate cries echoed against the walls, then died into an eerie silence which lasted a few seconds before being broken by a sharp gasp.

"Chouji, what's that?" Sakura point to the back of his right hand.

Chouji looked at it and a cold chill ran down his spine. There, on the back of his own hand, another note has appeared without him noticing.

Shaking in fear, he brought it close to his face.

'**WINNERS LIVE.**

**LOOSERS DIE.**

**QUITTERS THEIR OWN BLOOD WILL CRY.**

**ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO RESIGN?'**

Rather than the warning it appeared to be, it was more of a threat. The bold writing and usage of capitals made it clear.

The effect on Chouji was instant. In less than three seconds his face flushed bright red, then turned a ghostly pale as the blood drained off it and rushed to his feet.

"Chouji…" A hand was placed on his shoulder in a reassuring way, but he paid no mind to it.

His eyes downcast, Chouji pulled the note off the back of his hand and let it flutter quietly to the floor. Then he threw away his green cap and began unzipping his torn and battered Jack-O-Lantern costume. It was no longer round and puffy.

It was no longer funny…

Quietly and with tears in his eyes, he headed towards the door at Shikamaru's left and stepped in while mumbling.-

"I don't want to die in a Jack-O-Lantern costume."

Silence, then instant havoc as everyone ran for a door.

'_Oh, no…' _Hinata thought desperately. _'All the doors have been taken!'_

Calm down. No problem.

Just share a door with someone else.

_SLAM! _The first door to the left shut forcefully, with Rock Lee inside it.

Startled gasps and yelps filled the room.

_SLAM!_

_SLAM!_

Second and third door shut, Sasori and Shikamaru behind them. Their wide eyed faces the only thing visible behind the tiny windows.

'_The doors are shutting to begin the round.' _ She realized in horror. _'And I'll be left outside!'_

_SLAM!_

_SLAM!_

_SLAM!_

Doors number four, five and six. Chouji, Neji and Itachi out of sight.

_**QUITTERS THEIR OWN BLOOD WILL CRY.**_

The words hovered before her eyes as if they'd been written on the air itself.

"I'm not quitting!" She cried out. "Dear God, I'm not quitting!"

More doors kept on slamming and the choice of who she was going to share a door with was no longer hers. She only ran full speed to the nearest door and when some strange, black sleeves reached out to her she didn't think twice before throwing herself in.

She was still in the air when the door behind her slammed and hit her heels with great force. Hinata let out a startled cry but the person who had caught her pressed her face against his chest in a reassuring way, filling her nose with a smell that was all too familiar.

"It's all right." He said, his voice quivering slightly. "I've got you."

"Shino-kun!" She sobbed without looking up. She didn't have to do it to know it was him.

Outside, the doors kept on slamming until all players were locked inside the tiny rooms, then everything was still.

Minutes passed, dragging slowly by while the fear and expectation inside them grew with each tick of the clock.

"Is it starting or what?" Hidan's voice, though muffled behind the metal door, was still loud enough to be heard by the others.

"It must have already started." Sasuke said. "We just haven't noticed it yet."

"Well, it better end fast!" Hidan said impatiently. "I hate being in this tiny cell!"

"It's hot in here!" Naruto broke in. It was more of a thought than a comment.

"Hot?"

"Yeah!" He fanned himself with his hand. "I'm sweating all over!"

"You feel it too?" Sakura panted. Her tangled pink hair sticking to her reddened cheeks.

"It's damn boiling in here!" Kisame answered wearily. The heat was draining what was left of his strength.

Time passed and the heat slowly increased until it reached a point where it was almost unbearable.

"Ahh, get me out of here!" Naruto banged his fists against the tiny window. "It's too hot! I can't breathe!"

"No!" Sakura gasped as she pressed herself against the door, trying desperately to get some air from outside. "Help! Get me out of here!"

"No! No!" Naruto stumbled sideways and reached out for the wall to reassure himself, only to retrieve his hands immediately with a cry of pain.

The wall was scalding hot.

"It's heating!" He cried out. "The walls are heating!" They're trying to burn us in here!"

"Noooo!" Sakura squealed. "Get me out! Please, get me out!"

"Damn it!" Unable to stand their pleas any longer, Sasuke bashed himself against the door. He knew well enough it wouldn't make any difference, but he couldn't just stand there while his friends were being burned alive.

"So that's the trick." Kisame grinded his teeth.

He had kept himself from crying out like the others did, but to be honest, the heat was almost knocking him out.

"Hey, smart ass!" He choked out. "Didn't you…" He let Samehada drop to the floor because the hot metal was burning his back. "Didn't you say there would only be one loser?"

"There's only supposed to be one!" Shikamaru's mind reeled. "Or at least… I… just touch the walls! Which of them is hot? Left or right?"

"Left!" "Right!" Naruto and Sakura answered at the same time.

"Da' hell are you talking about? They're both…"

And it was then that he understood it. His room was right between Naruto and Sakura.

It wasn't that all three rooms were heating up, only the middle one was. The others were simply being affected because they were too close to it.

"So that's it." He laughed humorlessly. "I'm the loser in this round."

Almost as in answer, the walls were lined with dozens of tiny blue embers as if some giant stove had been turned on. The heat then was beyond infernal.

In an instant, his blue skin began to bubble as giant blisters formed all over his arms and face and his hair shriveled and curled against his scalp.

Kisame let out a mighty cry of pain and horror at the realization of his fate. He would never see the end of the labyrinth or take revenge on those who had sent them here.

He was going to die right there, burnt alive like some Martyr in a giant oven. Paying a penitence, it seemed, for trusting too much in belief.

Belief that the door he'd chosen would lead to safety.

"Get me out!" He boomed. "Get me out of here!"

Gathering all his strength, he stumbled forward to bash himself against the door, his shoes sticking to the searing hot floor as if the soles were made of chewed bubble gum.

"Aargh!" He cried out as his shoulder bounced against the door. The Akatsuki cloak, along with a portion of his skin, melted on contact.

A low sizzling sound escaped the wound and the sickening smell of burnt flesh invaded his nostrils.

"Get me out!" He wailed again. "I'm burning up! I'm burning!"

His cries of agony were so loud they were carried through all the other rooms. In her small cell right next to his, Sakura knelt and pressed her hands against her ears, praying silently that, if this was all just a big nightmare, she could wake up that instant.

Couldn't the doors just open and let them out? Couldn't anyone have mercy on them?

"Get me out of here!" Kisame begged, as he watched in horror how the nails on both hands began to melt.

This was too much.

The heat…

The merciless pain…

It was all too much to take.

"I won't." He shut his eyes closed. "I won't let you… get away with this!"

It his last attempt of survival, he reached out for Samehada, which lay on the floor giving out a reddish glow.

His arms screeched in pain as the burnt flesh in them was stretched but he ignored it. He did, however, flinch as his fingers grazed the red hot handle of the sword.

"Hmp, pussy." He taunted himself and then, gritting his saw-like teeth, lift Samehada off the ground. His hands being brunt to the bone.

"Aaaaarghh!" A mighty roar erupted from him as he banged the sword against the tiny crystal window. It wasn't an easy task since his furnace of a cell didn't provide enough space to swing it freely.

_Crick! _A small dent formed on the glass.

Another hit and this time a big spider web of a crack was formed.

The sword rose in the air again but this time he no longer had the strength to break out of his tiny hell. Instead, he rested the tip on the ground and kneeled next to it, the skin on his legs melting off.

"I… lose…" He rasped.

Just then, the embers dyed out.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten.- Well, it was good but I hope Alita liked it._

_Vianey.- (sitting in a corner half-concealed by shadows) Oh, she'll like it… she **better **like it._

_Glacia.- She is… uh… still undergoing some trouble. Just give her a pencil and leave her alone._

_Ten.- Will do… Anyways! Reviews, reviews! I want just 10, is that too much to ask? Oh and, Miss **Bride of Chucky, **your chapter is up next so PLEASE stop mailing me! Just kidding! But seriously, you could at least review!_

_**Want to Play?**_

_Subliminal message… **VISIT THE GALLERY FOR GOD'S SAKE!**_


	9. Round And Round

_So… after months of uploading the last chapter we were finally able to gather the 10 reviews I wanted._

_My question now is… is there something wrong with this story?_

_I mean, the extremely simplistic and downright predictable "Loves Me Not" (our new ShikaIno fic) is able to gather 10 reviews in just half a day and, to top things up, "Game Of Fear" lost 3 to 1 against "Sasuke's Twin" in the poll we posted to know which story was the best._

"_Sasuke's Twin"? REALLY?_

_As you can all imagine, this has done a number on my self esteem, even thought my co-writers are as happy as can be, so my murderous imagination is running low (which might explain the shortness of this chapter)._

_So if you could **please **review, I would be terribly thankful. If you don't then you can go die!_

_**Disclaimer.- **Don't own! Ya happy?_

**Chapter Nine**

**xX Round And Round Xx**

Fear… sickness… exhaustion… he'd known all that before.

It was his own helplessness which bothered him. That… and the cries of pain that still echoed inside his head.

Huddled against the door of his cell, barely awake and yearning for a wisp of fresh air, Naruto fought to keep his eyes open. Even though the danger had passed and the temperature had ceased to increase, the heat was still oppressive.

Damp and suffocating, it felt like a wet blanket wrapped around his head.

Would they ever make it out alive? He began to wonder. Would they ever be allowed to run free again?

Behind his heavy lids, Naruto could almost see the clear sky and roof tops of Konoha. He imagined himself at home, sitting on the windowsill and thinking about the latest events as if they'd been something he'd dreamt about long ago.

The curtains flapped and a soft, fresh breeze caressed his face.

He opened his eyes.

Konoha, lively and beautiful, disappeared to be replaced by the sterile, dreadful walls of his prison.

The breeze remained.

Slowly, he turned his head to the right and found that the back wall had suddenly (almost magically) disappeared, giving him the escape route he had been begging for.

Swaying slightly and almost bent with exhaustion, Naruto walked to the opening then stopped doubtfully before stepping out.

It was another hallway that this door lead to, not salvation, but at least the air there was breathable.

Naruto poked his head outside and looked around. The hallway was deserted, which meant the others where either still stuck inside or already in another place.

But wait! What if this was another round? What if the promise of freedom was only a trick to lure him out, right into the next hideous trap?

Hesitantly, he set his left foot outside, only to retrieve it two seconds later. He didn't want to stay where he was but venturing outside didn't strike him as the best idea either.

"In or out?" He asked himself, but before he could convince himself of either the walls began to move.

Actually it wasn't the wall but the whole room, floor and all, that began moving slowly to his right. The exit became thinner and thinner as the wall to his left swallowed it up.

"No, wait!" His head moved frantically back and forth. "In or out? In or out? IN OR OUT?"

Given the circumstances, it was no longer a difficult choice to make. Sure he faced unknown dangers if he stepped outside, but staying where he was meant he'd most surely be burned to death and that, as far as he knew, was neither a quick nor painless way of dying.

"Out!" He quickly jumped through the opening, which was already disappearing, and looked back.

Until then, he had never stopped to wonder why the room had been built in a circular shape. He'd figured that it was like that to make it look imposing, or perhaps because a conventional room couldn't have held so many doors.

In reality, it had been built like that as an escape route for the round survivors. He figured it out because the room kept on spinning like a Merry-go-Round and Itachi's room, which was right next to his, came instantly into view.

"Hey!" He called to Itachi, who was turning his head in all directions. Apparently the room's sudden movement had confused him, for he could no longer tell which way to face. "Hey, over here!"

Itachi turned to face him and doubtfully took a step ahead, but to Naruto's surprise the rooms kept on moving even after Itachi's door had reached the center.

"Hurry up, it's not stopping!" He urged, but Itachi seemed to be frozen in place. "Oh, come on!"

The door was already disappearing, leaving way to the next one but Itachi would not move. Naruto knew that if Sasuke's brother didn't hurry, he would remain trapped inside without another chance of escape and, even though he and Akatsuki were sworn enemies, he decided to help this time.

"You've got to be kidding!" He ran to Itachi and, with a grunt of effort, pulled him out just as Neji jumped from the next door.

"What's going on?" He asked. His white eyes scanned the doors, which had begun to spin faster.

"I have no idea." Naruto answered.

A pale faced Chouji stumbled out of the following door.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Hurry up, jump!" Sakura could hear the voices shouting the same words over and over but she couldn't tell why they did it, or why the rooms had begun to spin. All she knew was that she needed air, and she needed it fast!

The voices drew closer and closer. The rooms kept spinning faster until, all of a sudden, it all stopped.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura!"

She looked up and through the haze in her eyes she could make out the rest of the players.

"Get out, hurry!" They urged, but she couldn't understand why.

"It's all right." Someone said. "It's not moving anymore."

Slowly and still shaking, she half-crawled out of her room and into another dimly it hallway.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked as he helped her to her feet.

"Yeah… I just…"

"Hey it's moving again!"

Sakura, along with the others, turned to the opening just as the last room came into view.

They all realized, a bit too late, that they should have looked away.

On the center of the last room Kisame knelt. They could only tell it was him because of the Akatsuki cloak and the sword he still clang to.

For everything else, he was unrecognizable.

All his hair had disappeared, as though it had melted off and his blue skin was now grayish and bloated.

His lips had shriveled and retracted, giving him a blood curling look of agony.

He was, however, not scorched as they'd thought. Judging by the look of his skin, it was more as if he'd been boiled or… baked…

Sakura's eyes widened at the horror of the scene. Impulsively she drew in air, but the shrill scream that rang in her ears didn't feel as if it belonged to her.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Hmm, so… no death here, just more twisted plot. I really needed some gore here, so I added more descriptions of Kisame to make my day…_

_So… just review okay? Oh, and about the "You can go die" thing, that's just a joke._

_Or isn't it?_

_**Want to play?**_


	10. Moving Forward

_Ahhh! *pleased smile* We are barely 4 reviews away from hitting the 100 mark on this story and all I have to say is… _

_Take that "Sasuke's Twin"!_

_In your face "Loves Me Not"!_

_All your loyal fans and all your ridiculously high amounts of hits cannot outshine the "Game Of Fear"! Mwahahahahahah!_

_Oh! *back to reality* And thanks to all those of you who read and review. Without you this wouldn't be possible!_

**Chapter Ten**

**xX Moving Forward Xx**

Baked alive he was.

Baked alive… what a horrible death.

'_It could have been me.' _She thought as she stared unblinkingly at Kisame's disfigured form. _'Just one door to the right and it would have been me.'_

'_Sakura! Sakura stop that!' _She heard Sasuke's voice but it was drowned under a constant, high pitched sound.

What was that sound? Where was it coming from?

'_Sakura-chan!'_

No… could it be?

Her eyes focused on Kisame's horribly distorted mouth.

Was he the one making the sound? Was he still pleading for mercy even though he knew that, in this game at least, there was none to be offered?

Horror… pain… heat… and the blood curling shrieks that still drowned everything else.

'_Sakura-chan!' _Naruto's face appeared before her, blocking the horrible sight. _'Sakura-chan, snap out of it!'_

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard. The ear splitting sound stopped.

"Na-Naruto…" She stammered, coming back to her senses.

So that's what it was. She only realized it then. The sound she heard was her own screams of terror.

"I… I…" her whole being shook and the tears streamed down her sweaty cheeks.

"It's all right." Naruto pulled her close and pressed her face against his chest to block the sight from her. "It's all right."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Oohh…" She moaned weakly, covering her mouth with her left hand. "Naruto…"

"Again?" He asked worriedly, unwrapping his arm from around her waist.

Sakura merely nodded and stepped to a side of the hallway to throw up for the third time, her stomach lurching so hard it felt as if her very insides were trying to come out.

"Agck!" She spat, but her stomach was too empty to produce anything but vile.

"She's doing it again?" She heard Sasuke ask behind her.

"Yeah." There was so much worry in Naruto's voice. "I think she's fallen ill."

"Ough!" She gagged again. There was nothing left inside and she knew it, yet her stomach insisted. Her face turned red from the effort.

"Enough." Sasuke ripped a piece off his cape and used it to wipe Sakura's mouth, the first sign of kindness he'd shown her since, well, ever. "We can't fall behind, let's go." He placed his hand on top of her head.

Naruto, whom she had been leaning against as she walked, offered his arm for support again.

"It's all right." Sasuke waved him off, taking hold of Sakura's right arm. "I'll take her from here."

"You sure like playing hero, don't you?" Naruto frowned at him.

"No, I just don't think you should be carrying someone else around when you can barely go on yourself. After all, you were almost…" He stopped as he noticed Sakura's terrified expression.

"Almost…" She repeated.

What? Almost killed? Almost baked alive like Kisame? Almost turned into zombie-doll material?

"Never mind." Sasuke shook his head. "Let's get going." He swung Sakura's arm over his shoulders and wrapped his left arm around her waist the same way Naruto had done just moments ago.

Any other time she would have enjoyed it, being so close to him. But now the usual tingling she felt every time he was near her was gone, replaced not by numbness or disinterest, but by fear and sickness.

"Should we slow down?" Lee suggested, waiting for them to catch up.

"Yeah, we should." He nodded. "Sakura's too weak to go any faster and who knows what'll happen if we split up."

"Just leave her behind, un!" Deidara rolled his eyes in frustration. "It's not as if we haven't been delayed enough."

"Deidara." Sasori closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at the idiot next to him. "Please keep quiet."

"What?! But… Danna… you're the one who hates waiting! Don't tell me you'd let them hold you back just so they can drag this bitch along!"

"Pardon me." Deidara looked down at the bandaged, uni-browed boy that stood before him. "I would very much appreciate it if you could please abstain yourself from calling her that again."

"Why?" He smirked. "I don't see what's wrong with calling things by their names."

The muscles in Lee's body tensed up, which only made his smirk even bigger.

"What is it now, fuzzy?" Deidara raised his right hand, which was also smirking and had begun to lick itself. "You wanna start something?"

"Back off Lee." Neji hissed as he tried to pull him back. "This guy is dangerous."

But Lee wouldn't budge and he probably didn't even hear what the Hyuuga had said because his eyes were fixed on the blond man before him.

"Deidara, put your hand down." Sasori said dryly, but Deidara grinned instead of doing so. "Deidara!"

"Lee-san!" Sakura attempted to shout but all that came out was a choked squeal. "Please, stop it!"

"But… Sakura-san…" He blinked repeatedly. "But he… he called you…" his hands gestured manically towards Deidara. "He called you… he… he shouldn't have… he said those things and…"

"It's all right." She shook her head slowly. "And as much as I hate to say it, he's right."

"He is?"

"I am?" He tilted his head.

"With so many rounds and…" She closed her eyes and tried to avoid the images that rushed to her head. "Well, we've been delayed enough and it's not fair that all of you should slow down just because of me.

"But you're not feeling well Sakura-chan!" Naruto grimaced. "We can't just leave you behind!"

"I'm okay. Just walk at your own rate and I'll make sure to follow. Besides," She stepped away from Sasuke. "I'm feeling better already."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Yeah." She lied, offering a feeble smile.

In reality her head felt like it might roll off her shoulders at any moment and the simple action of breathing sent a wave of nausea up her stomach.

'_I'm all right.' _She told herself. _'I'm all right.'_

As the rest of the players resumed their advance Sakura tried her best to act normal, at least until Naruto and Sasuke's suspicious glances ceased.

Upon advancing a few meters her stomach again sent her the unmistakable necessity to throw up, but she ignored it and kept on going.

Sakura had already set her resolve; she would not allow herself to slow the others down. Even if her skin melted because of the fever and even if she had to swallow her own vomit, she would **not **slow them down.

She would simply keep on moving forward.

Moving forward…

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_*Random Advertisement* We are now Beta Readers. Hell yeah!_

"So where to now?" Kakashi panted.

The three Inuzuka before him, all drenched in sweat, stared at each other in confusion.

"Where to?!" He demanded.

"I don't get it." The oldest male in the group answered. "Their trail ends here… but… there's nothing here!"

The four of them stared around, but the patch of forest they were standing at wasn't different form the rest in any way.

"Are you **absolutely **sure this is where the trail ends?"

"Of course we are." The shaggy haired woman replied indignant. "Our noses are never wrong, but you may summon your own dogs if you don't believe us."

"No shit!" Inuzuka Hana, the third Inuzuka member, wiped her tears away with her fists. "If their scent leads here then they **must **be here!"

With more tears streaming down her face she dropped to her knees and began digging with her bare hands.

"They're here, I know they're here." She mumbled while digging. "They must be hidden somewhere, that's why we can't see them."

"Hana-san." Kakashi took hold of her hands to stop her. "This is obviously just a decoy. We have to keep on looking."

"But I… his smell…" She sobbed. "My brother was here, how can he possibly…"

"Kakashi!" Called a voice from his ear piece. "Kakashi, can you hear me?!"

"Kakashi here." He answered. "I hear you Asuma."

"My team is fifteen miles away from you, to the south." Asuma explained. "Get over here as soon as you can. The Hyuuga found something."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_We would now like to express our gratitude to all our wonderful readers, so to.- **Alita 'n' Emily, silverokami2009, , redfox-akatsuki, Lulusi227, Sasuke's Pal, Shizuka Taiyou, MahoShoujo, uglyllamas, 0.o, inamehyuuga, sunshinelexi, Bamby Birthday, Osiris Gainsborough, Devil'dBlade, yuki973, lulla, Emiko Aika, whatsername810, MidnightNinja777, NightMare ReVisited, Aw, FlyPandaBear (hell yeah!), OMG POOR ITACHI, Miss Peppy Red Head, KibaHinaLUV (hell yeah x2!), Serene Grace, The Masked Idiot, Guest (?) and blackcatgirl**…_

_Thank you. No, really. Thank YOU._

_Ten.- So… no death here either but the story is developing. Someone needs to rescue them, right?_

_Glacia.- I am surprised that you decided to add a story line at all. In the beginning you only wanted to kill everyone in rather improbable ways just for the sake of it._

_Ten.- And I still do! I just thought a little plot would help, though it's still pretty… um…_

_Glacia.- Improbable._

_Ten.- Well, it's a fanfic, isn't it? It's not supposed to be… damn you! Where's Vianey anyways?_

_Glacia.- Trying to upload the "Sasuke's Twin" Sequel._

_Ten.- What? **More** competence? I MUST stop her! *runs away then comes back* Don't forget to review! *runs away again*_

_**Want to Play?**_


	11. Coming Your Way

_Ok, so… I know I promised this chapter about 2 (or 3?) months ago, but we've been too busy lately that… well, I know you don't really care as long as you get a new chapter, so here it is. Thanks a lot **Storm0Wolf** for worrying about us, we really appreciate it and, yes, we're ok, thank you (: _

_I would just like to point out that last chapter got a total of **17 **reviews, which is totally a new record of us! Take that rest of the world! I got 17 reviews! _

_Thanks a lot to the readers, and please enjoy this new chapter, as short and non-gory as it is (it's just that the chapter was too long and we had to cut it in half… yet AGAIN). **Miss Bride of** **Chucky**, please forgive us, I know you've been waiting for this since I can't remember when (that's how long it's been) but we promise next chapter will have the death you asked us for, and it will be gruesome… for our standards anyways… _

**Chapter Eleven**

**xX Coming Your Way Xx**

"Let the bitch tag along, why don't we? Let her slow us down even more, why don't we?" Deidara muttered bitterly. He had tried to convince the others of leaving the pink-haired puke machine behind, but no one would agree with him.

Kakuzu called it strategy.- More players meant a higher chance of survival.

Deidara called it rubbish.- A crippled player would cripple all others.

"It's just like that time with Itachi." He went on. "We should have listened to Hidan and left him behind but **NO**, no one would care for what he said just like they're ignoring me now, un. Seriously, if all my mouths could talk, they would **still** not listen to me.

"Dude, would you mind muttering inside your head? You're annoying the hell out of me!" Naruto complained.

'_Hmp, look who's talking!' _Deidara thought.

He was just opening his mouth to say it when Sasori spoke up.

"And just for the record, if all your mouths could talk I would have cut off their tongues long ago."

Deidara felt rage building up his head, but he knew better than to let it out on Sasori, so instead he only raised his hands in defeat.

"All right, **fine.** Do what you want." He waved his hands in the air. "Drag her along, it doesn't mater. If you want to die that bad then go ahead! But** I** will keep on going. Unlike the rest of you I **am** surviving!"

Being pleased with his speech, he gave an angry snort then proceeded to walk even faster without caring if the rest followed or not.

"I'm sorry." Sakura apologized weakly. Her voice was now less than a whisper.

Despite her resolve of not slowing the others down, her stomach had played against her and lurched so hard that the vomit had almost exploded out of her mouth.

To make things even worse, her fever only kept on increasing and attempted to make her drop at any moment.

"Don't worry about him." Sasuke, who had once again offered to help her and ended up almost carrying her, rolled his eyes. "He's risking no one but himself."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"For crying out loud, could you slow down already?" An irritated Sasori grumbled.

"Not slowing down." Deidara pouted. "Not for **her**, not for **you**, not for **anyone**!"

"But can't you fucking see the scenario has changed?"

The puppet master was right. For a couple of meters now the walls' material had changed from the original metal plates to rough, white concrete that was, let's admit it, way over suspicious.

"Yeah, I see it. So what? Maybe whoever built this thing just ran out of plates and decided to keep it simple."

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"That's a valid hypothesis." Kakuzu agreed.

Double-eye-roll.

Aside from those two, everyone else was convinced that the walls' sudden change was not a mere coincidence, but a work of design. In fact they'd all been a bit reluctant to keep on going until they were absolutely sure that there were no new notes around.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto hopped next to Shikamaru, who was holding out both arms at his sides. "What are you doing?"

"Oh… nothing." He replied and dropped his arms. "Just stretching, that's all."

"Hmmm…" Naruto slanted his eyes in thought, then shrugged and resumed his walk. "Come on, I think I see the end of this thing!"

A couple of minutes later, when they had walked a fair distance, he noticed Shikamaru doing the same thing again.

"Really now, what are you doing?"

"I just thought… no, never mind."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

In the gloom of his dungeon-like chamber, sitting in front of the monitor-covered wall and surrounded by his faceless minions, the Game Master observed the scene with a spark of amusement in his eyes.

"Do you think he's found out master?" One of them asked.

For all answers, he only offered a chuckle.

"I don't like that kid." His only female minion complained. "Why must he always figure it out?"

"Right now he's only suspicious about it." A wide grin spread over the Master's face. "But it's only a mater of time until he realizes it."

"Shouldn't we kill him already Master?" She asked. "I mean… he'll totally ruin the game if he keeps on guessing things like that."

"Actually, I find him rather amusing." The master went on grinning. "Let's leave him alone and see how far he can get. Better yet, let's see how many things he can figure out before the end. Besides, even if he realizes what's going on in this round…" He chuckled. "Well, it's a bit late to save them all."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"What the hell?!" Deidara cried out upon reaching the end of the white hallway, which turned out to be nothing more than a dead end. "You mean to tell me I walked all the way over here for NOTHING?!"

The rest of the players, who were still a few meters away from the blond Akatsuki, noticed the small note on the left wall before he did.

"Oh, not again!" Chouji shivered at the sight of it.

Holding Sakura closer to himself, Sasuke tried to make his way to the front and read the note that, he knew, no one else would even try to touch.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura said pleadingly after noticing Sasuke's intention.

"It's all right." He reassured her. "We'll make it out of this one somehow. Besides, you know the round will start even if we don't read the note."

"But…"

"Look, if you're scared…" He unwrapped his arm from around her waist. "Wait here, I'll get the note."

Before he could even advance five steps, however, he was stopped by Shikamaru's arm.

"Let him read it." He gestured with his head towards Deidara who, in his stubborn necessity to be ahead of all the others, was already pulling the note off the wall. "You go to the back and stay there."

"What?"

"I think I know what's going on." He explained his face dead serious. "And if I'm right, it's better for you to be over there."

"So what's going on, according to you?" Sasuke asked without moving.

"It's about these strange walls, I think…"

He was then interrupted by Deidara, who began reading the note out loud.

'**Do you really think you can escape?**

**Watch out! They're coming your way.'**

"Huh?" Deidara tilted his head to the side as he tried to make sense of it.

"Oh shit!" His fears being confirmed, Shikamaru turned on his heels and hurried back while gesturing for the rest to follow. "Move, move, move! Let's get out of here!"

As was expected, doubts started to pop up everywhere without anyone actually moving to follow.

"Wait, what?!"

"What's he talking about?"

"Why Shikamaru? I don't get it!"

"Guys!" Obviously frustrated, Shikamaru made an abrupt stop and turned back to them. "Do you trust me or not? Hurry up and I'll explain on the way!"

All players interchanged puzzled glances, as if trying to consult with each other whether they should follow their suddenly frenzied companion or not.

"Fuck this!" Kiba was the first one to make up his mind. "I'm following him!"

Grabbing hold of Hinata's hand and pushing Shino forward, he ran as Shikamaru had instructed with the still puzzled Hinata in tow.

"Hurry up!" Shikamaru urged, once again running the opposite way. "We don't have time!"

And even though they still couldn't understand what was going on, the rest of the players joined in, moving as fast as their tired and aching legs could carry them.

Sakura, who by this point could barely drag one foot before the other, was swept off her feet by Sasuke who harshly swung her on his back and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Being the only one with a perpetual, yet never so extreme lack of chakra, Lee had no trouble taking the lead in a matter of seconds even though his usual speed was cut down to a fourth.

Poor Itachi, unable to decide which way to run, was still rooted to the spot next to Hidan, who had a bored look pasted on his face and Deidara, who was cursing under his breath.

"Yo, Itachi!" Naruto yelled over his shoulder. "Turn to your left and run straight! Run straight!"

Itachi did as he was told and set of running, followed by the other two reluctant Akatsuki members.

"Shikamaru, what's going on?!" Neji panted.

"It's… these walls!" Shikamaru replied. It wasn't an easy task since he was almost out of breath. "I wasn't sure about it… until the note was read, but… *pant* the walls have been closing in on us since we stepped between them!"

"Say what?!" Naruto shrieked.

So that's what Shikamaru had been doing back there. He'd been measuring the distance between the walls and himself.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"He found out." Someone announced, even though the fact was more than obvious.

"Master?" His most loyal servant, the one who managed the enormous control panel, stared at him doubtfully. "What should I do?"

"Full speed." He grinned with sick pleasure. "Lets' see how many of them can make it out in time."

"Yes master."

The sound of spinning wheels filled the room as he pulled down a green lever. In the screen before them, havoc had just broken loose.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten: Well, so it just MIGHT contain a couple of typos and stuff like that, but you still get the point, right?_

_Glacia: And, like my partner has mentioned before me, we are very sorry for the delay of this chapter._

_Ten: I blame Vianey entirely for that. If she hadn't gotten that new demanding job, we would have time to write like when she was unemployed… but then… she would be miserable and sick and… who cares! We'd have a new chapter each week!_

_Vianey: I would say I deserve a little credit here! I mean, I wrote part of this in my work, while my students were taking the final exams and stuff!_

_Glacia: You also trade pokemon using your job's Wi-Fi while you're supposed to be working, that's no big deal…_

_Vianey: Oh, do shut up both of you. _

_Ten: Whatever, please people review this! Also, please tell me if this new cover image is better or if you prefer the former one. The character there is Dunnoh, you don't know her yet because she's an OC (or a guest, whatever you want to call her) who will appear in later chapters._

_Oh, screw that, just REVIEW!_

_**Want to Play?**_


	12. Triple Silence

_*Brushing dust off the notebook*_

_So… (cough, cough)… after 6 months of one of the worst cases of writer's block, I'm happy to inform you that the team is back on the game!_

_And yes, Ms. "Bride of Chucky", I know you requested (more like earned) this chapter over two years ago and that, aside from the character and cause of death, you were even kind enough to provide us with a scenario and this chapter should have been finished in no time, but you have to admit this was a complicated one D:_

_Anyways, it seems we have more creativity when something in our lives is going wrong and, since everything was perfect (up until now) our brain was virtually dead._

_So…. Please enjoy this chapter while we dwell in our misery. Also remember that you can review for FREE and that we accept anonymous reviews._

_Ms. Bride of Chucky, this one goes for you!_

**Chapter Twelve**

**xX Triple Silence Xx**

Who said it? It wasn't quite clear.

There was no time for voice recognition, or even for thinking.

All they did was follow the command hat rose with a desperate note above the roaring sound of the walls.

"Everybody run!"

"We're not going to make it!" Sakura's desperate wail felt like an arrow going through Sasuke's brain. "The walls are too fast!"

"Shut up!" He snapped, the veins on his forehead almost popping from the effort. "I'll get us out of here! See if I don't!"

He set his eyes straight ahead, focusing all his attention and will into getting beyond the rushing walls, but even as he did that he was sure they wouldn't make it.

Endless… can you imagine it?

The endless path to safety, or relative safety, running as fast as you can with legs that can barely carry your own weight.

'_Brooooooom!' _The walls roared as they continued to close in. they were almost half-way through their course while the players still had about three quarters to go.

'_Clang!' _Shino's sharp less metal scythe clashed against one of the walls and went flying off his hands, but he had no time to go back for it.

"Faster, faster!" Kiba urged as he dragged the tripping Hinata behind him.

"I'm trying!" She gasped as she struggled to keep up with his speed.

Sakura looked ahead, at the narrowing path to survival. It appeared unreachable, almost mythical before her eyes and, as another wave of sickness took over her, she began to wonder if life was really worth the effort.

After all, surviving this round wouldn't make much difference. They would just continue round after round, time after time until they finally met their fate and yet, despite all that, she still wanted to live.

If only it were her who was running. If only she could use her own strength to save herself instead of trusting on someone else, then maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty about…

"Sasuke-kun!" She barely had enough time to say that before she went flying off Sasuke's back, landing heavily on her right side and slamming her already throbbing head on the concrete floor.

"Oo-ooow…" She whimpered, the world truing into a haze of red and gray.

Of course, she thought to herself, this was all her fault again.

**Her **fault because she'd seen the discarded scythe lying before them but had paid it no mind until Sasuke's foot was already slipping on it and now, because of her carelessness, they were both condemned.

"Aargh!" Sasuke roared as he tried to get back to his feet and fell on his knees instead.

"Sasu…" She muttered, unable to find the strength to even finish his name.

"Sasuke! Sakura-chan!" Naruto caught up with them in a matter of seconds to pick Sakura off the ground. A tiny streak of blood ran down the side of her head.

"Take her and get out of here!" Sasuke commanded, but made no attempt to keep on going or even pick himself off the ground. "Hurry!"

"You too, c'mon!" He urged.

"I can't!" Gritting his teeth, Sasuke pulled up the leg of his pant to show his foot which was swelling up like a balloon. "I think I broke my ankle! I can't even get up!" His voice sounded strange because he was trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "So take her and run, hurry! You don't have much time!"

"No way!"

Naruto looked around. The other players were darting by, completely oblivious to them.

"Help!" He cried out. "Help me get them out! They can't move!"

Sasori and Chouji ran past them, completely ignoring Naruto's cries for help.

"Please, help us!" He begged, his eyes filling up with tears. "I can't get them both out!" His voice cracked. "I can't… I can't…"

All of a sudden he felt a sort of tug as Sakura was snatched off his arms.

"Wha…" He looked in the direction everyone was running and stared dumbfounded at Kakuzu, who was swinging the half-unconscious Sakura over his shoulder.

"You owe me one, fox boy!" He shout back at the blond. "Make sure you don't forget!"

Naruto stared at him with a strange mixture of gratitude and distrust, but Kakuzu didn't care. After all, the blond demon's suspicions were correct; he had only saved her so she could use as a decoy in future rounds.

"Come on, let's go!" Snapping back into reality, Naruto yanked at Sasuke's arm and practically hauled him to his feet. "We have to get out!"

"I can't!" Sasuke shout bitterly. "I can't set my foot down, I can't keep going!"

"Shut up and move, bitch!" Naruto commanded. "We're both getting out of here!"

He tired to help him by serving as a human crouch, just like they had done with Sakura, but Sasuke was neither as small nor as light as she had been.

His broken foot wasn't helping either since he couldn't even step on it and was sort of hopping forward, making it more difficult for both of them.

"Forget it, I can't do it! I'll get us both killed!"

"I told you to shut up!" Naruto snapped. His face was red from the effort, but also from anger and frustration. "I'm getting us out of here!"

He looked back and found, to his relief, that they weren't the last ones in this race for survival. Hidan and Deidara were still behind them.

"Hey!" He signaled for them to stop. "Help! We need help!"

But Hidan just ran past them, completely ignoring him.

Frowning deeply and gritting his teeth, Naruto decided it was time to stop asking nicely so, when Deidara tried to run past them as well, he reached out and grabbed his arm firmly to hold him back.

"Hey!" Deidara complained as he tired to yank his arm away. "What the heck?!"

"Look at him!" He gestured towards Sasuke's ankle, which was twice as big as it should. "He can't run anymore, help me get him out of here!"

"Screw that!" Deidara sneered cruelly at the raven-haired Uchiha. "He'd be fine if he hadn't insisted on helping that girl! Crippled players cripple all the others!"

"What did you…"

"So though luck kid!" He yanked his arm away. "You should have listened to me!"

Naruto, who by this point had lost all his patience was determined to punch him unconscious and would have gladly done it if Sasuke hadn't spoken up at that exact time.

"Never mind him!" He pushed the blond forward. "Never mind ME! You have to get out of here or else there'll be no one left to take care of Sakura!"

"But… Sasuke…" He said, his mouth quivering despite the effort.

"Wake up already! There's no way I can save myself anymore!"

Naruto looked ahead. The hallway was now barely wide enough for two persons to walk through side by side so even if Deidara, who was now a fair distance away, had helped them, there was no way any of them could survive the current round.

Even so, when had Naruto actually given a damn about odds?

"Are you out of your mind?!" The Uchiha cried out as Naruto slung him on his back the same way he'd done with Sakura. "There's no way you can take us both out of here!"

"Shut the fuck up already!" He snapped. "I didn't narrowly escape the oven just to end it here! I've slapped death on the face before, I can do it again!"

Pushing his leg muscles to a limit that not even he knew, Naruto sprinted forward, trying on his way to ignore the pain, the exhaustion, and the burning in his lungs.

The walls, he knew, would stop for no one.

The sweat streaking down his forehead stung his eyes and blurred his vision but he didn't slow down, not even when his sides began to hurt as if he had a kunai wedged between his ribs.

In no time he had already caught up with Deidara, but by then the hallway was barely wide enough for both of them to run side by side.

"Run Naruto, run!"

"Hurry up! Come on!"

He lift his head, which had been bowed in a strange and unconscious attempt to increase speed, and saw their friends there, already on the other side and gloriously close, shouting and waving their arms.

That was all they could do to keep him going.

They were almost there, only a few meters away, but by now the path had narrowed so much that running side by side with Deidara was squishing them against the walls.

Naruto gritted his teeth as his left arm's friction against the walls scrapped off his sleeve and part of his skin.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Damn it!" Deidara growled. He was trapped between the wall and those two now.

He couldn't outrun them, he wasn't fast enough, and there was no way in hell he would let them go ahead of him.

The solution, you see, was pretty simple.

"Out of the way!" He snapped, pushing the red-faced blond away from him.

What went wrong? It was a simple thing he did so… how did it end up like that?

Maybe because he hadn't anticipated the outcome.

He hadn't planed on Naruto to trip and send Sasuke flying away to land on top of the other players, or having the blond actually falling and blocking the way when the walls had narrowed so much that they were crushing against his shoulders.

"Get him out!" The Uchiha commanded. Naruto's head was already on the safe side, but the rest of his body wasn't.

Hands shot out for him and either by the hair or by his fox shirt, they dragged him out.

"Help!" Deidara called out. He hated to say it, but there was no other way.

He tried to advance but the path was no longer big enough, so he turned to his side and, reaching out his hand for someone to grab, he took two steps.

It was then that he felt the walls pressing against his back and face.

"Da… Damn…" He managed to mutter.

Without a second thought, Naruto jumped to his feet and grabbed Deidara's wrist firmly.

"Help me get him out!" He cried out, but Sasori was already pulling at Deidara's forearm.

"Hmp! Mmmph!" Deidara complained from between the walls.

With little less than horror, Naruto observed as the mouth on Deidara's palm opened to form a pained expression.

"P-Pull!" He shout, trying to ignore the chills running down his back. "We have to get him out!"

Naruto planted his feet against the closing walls so as to not slip while a human chain formed behind him.

The muffled screams got even worse.

"Again, pull!" He commanded.

Deidara, on the other hand, was begging them to stop.

Of course, they couldn't hear him, because his face was crushed against the wall. But even if they had, it would have made no sense. Why would he prefer to stay and be crushed to death?

They had forgotten, as you probably did too, that the walls holding him in place were not exactly smooth. In fact, their roughness was digging on his skin and sending a strong wave of pain every time the other players attempted to pull him out. Being crushed to death seemed attractive now… compared to being skinned alive.

There was a strong yank and he cried out in pain as his arm was almost dislocated from his shoulder and a piece of flesh over his brow was scrapped off.

Another yank and this time the joint in his arm was separated with a muffled _'plop!'_

"MMNGH! FHHMF! MNFHH!" His wails of agony were mistaken by the others as pleas for help.

"We have to get him out!" Naruto shout while trying to look anywhere but at Deidara's hand.

It was clear how much he was suffering because his hand had been silently screaming all along, the tongue rolling frantically inside it.

"One more time!" Grabbing hold of his arm as hard as he could, Naruto readied himself to pull with all his might as Deidara's screams continued. "Pull!"

This time they yanked so hard that Deidara felt the last nerves holding his arm together snapping up like rubber bands and blood filling up his throat as his nose came off, but that was not all. They kept on pulling despite his gurgling screams, the crushing walls and even the blood dripping at his feet, which they didn't notice.

They did, however, manage to get him out.

Well… half of him, anyways.

He was more dead than alive when they could finally pull his upper body out. They would have tried to get him out entirely if the shock hadn't been strong enough to send them crashing back.

Unbearable, the sight of him. Simply too grotesque to accurately be put into words.

To say that his face had been greatly damaged would be a lie, simply because he didn't even have a face anymore. And yet, unlike the rotting thing that was supposed to have been Tenten, his torn up flesh was still dripping. Still beating.

His chest, skinned the same, had one of the topmost ribs showing slightly behind the ripped off muscles on it and blood matted blond hair clang to the walls as the back of his head had suffered the same fate.

Wide eyed in terror, they could only gape at him as he gave one last sort of grunt and his now lidless eyes rolled back into his skull.

The walls came together with the sound of crunching bones.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten.- Triple Silence, because all 3 of his mouths are now silenced, get it? Eh, get it? Aw man, we're getting fla-amed._

_Vianey *Wearing a "Gaara's N1 Fangirl" T-Shirt*.- I'd like to remind all readers that we did __**NOT **__chose the victim, it was chosen by the Fanart Contest's winner. Besides, it's not like we had something against Deidara, or anything._

_Glacia *Drinking from an "I love Gaara" cup*.- An apologize to all Deidara fans, but this was by no means anything personal. No._

_Ten.- So yeah, this was the last prize so from now on the victims will go back to being random. We'll pull their names from the mystical box of… what?_

_Vianey.- I, uh… lost the names… and the box…_

_Ten.- You did what?!_

_Vianey.- Yeah… along with the causes of death so… should we make up some new ones?_

_Ten.- I'd been actually thinking of a poll, you know? One cause of death, three different character chosen randomly so that the readers could vote but… wait a second… YOU LOST MY CAUSES OF DEATH TOO?!_

_Vianey.- So.. eh… An-e-way! Thank you Miss Bride of chucky for your help, we hope you like it._

_Ten.- You better do, or I'll suicide! And you know I will!_

_Glacia *Crossing fingers*.- Please say you hate it, please say you hate it, PLEASE say you hate it…_

_Ten.- Come on! I shouldn't even be asking anyways, of course she's going to like it! Right?_

… _right?_

_REVIEW! Please?_

_**Want to play?**_


	13. Reality

_Hell-oh again people!_

_Bet you weren't expecting an update so soon, huh? Well, that's mainly thanks to all of our wonderful readers who took some time to support us with their reviews and made our comeback more than glorious!_

_So, before we begin, I'd like to thank __**phoenixyfriend, blackcatgirl, AKATSUKILOVER73, guest, Kiyomi-Chan7, Crow's Gamble and jashinistefangirls**__ (and anyone who's reviewed in the past) for their invaluable support._

_Special thanks and a virtual high five to __**KibaHinaLUV, redfox-akatsuki, Shizuka Taiyou, Devil's Blade and NightMare ReVisited**__ for their constant support. Special thanks also for __**Alita 'n' Emily **__and __**FlyPandaBear**__, whom we haven't been able to contact but hope they're ok and will come back soon. _

_A reminder for __**Ms. Bride of Chucky **__(to whom our last chapter was dedicated), you haven't told us what you think about it!_

_And last but not least, a great, thunderous clap for our dear __**MahoShoujo**__, who has claimed to be our number one fan! *Sniff* Thank you Maho-Chan, *Sniff* we love you too!_

_That said let's skip to today's chapter! (Which for personal reasons is not recommended to be read alone at 1 am…) Please take two seconds to review when you're done, it would be very much appreciated._

**Chapter Thirteen**

**xX Reality Xx**

Dark… everything was so dark…

'_Naruto… Naruto…'_

He could hear someone calling his name on the distance, but his lids were too heavy with exhaustion and his whole body throbbed in pain.

'_What's he doing?'_

'_He won't wake up. I think we've lost him!'_

Wait… lose him? What did those voices mean by that? Had he… no, it couldn't be!

He couldn't have really lost a round now, could he? He clearly remembered going through all of them… unless…

'_Naruto, get up!'_

He tried to open his eyes, but his heart sank with despair as he found himself unable to do even such an easy task.

He couldn't wake up and he never would. He was dead now.

"Naruto!" Someone bellowed at the same time that something cold splashed against his face.

"Whaaaa!" He sat straight up, his heart hammering against his chest.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto lift his head to find Sasuke staring down at him in his usual '_You're stupid and I'm more handsome than you_' way. Behind him, a hundred multi-colored lights danced around a darkened room.

That place… he knew it! He had been there before!

His eyes wandered from Sasuke to the other 10 familiar faces staring down at him. Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, Neji… Ino!

"Ino!" Ignoring the pain and weariness he's been feeling just a second before, Naruto jumped to his feet and all but charged at her with a delighted squeal. She had barely enough time to yelp in surprise before he wrapped her in a bear hug.

"You're alive!" He cried out while trying to hold back his tears.

"What are you talking about?" Ino frowned. "Of course I'm…"

But he was no longer listening. He was too busy scanning the room in search of someone else.

"Where… where… where… Tenten!"

"What?" She squawked while trying to back up against a wall, but he was faster than her.

He held her tightly for a few seconds, then took a step back and ran his hands down her face.

"Look at you!" He smiled through his tears, which were now running freely. "You're so… **complete**!"

"I'm **what**?!" She blushed a deep red.

"Obviously…" Neji growled as he slapped Naruto's hands away (he'd started running his hands down her neck while muttering how beautiful she was). "He hit his head harder than we thought."

"He's probably just drunk." Sakura's eyebrow twitched. She had to hold Naruto back to prevent him from tackling Ino again.

"What's **wrong **with you?" Sasuke sneered.

"How did this happen?" He turned his head frantically around. "How did we escape?"

"Escape **what**?"

"The game!" He cried out. "The "Fear Game" or whatever the hell it was called!" Everyone stared at him as though he were sprouting an extra pair of arms. "We were all there, in this creepy sort of hallway and… and the traps and… notes on the walls!"

"Ok…" Kiba snickered. He probably thought it was all a joke.

"Ah… Akatsuki too!" Ignoring Kiba's mocking, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "You brother was there, so was shark-face! There were others with them and a blond guy got caught in the walls!"

"Ok, stop right there!" Said an obviously pissed Sasuke.

Naruto didn't listen.

"Tenten… Tenten, you died in the first round. Ino was the next one. She fell in a pit and-"

"Enough!" Sasuke barked. "You're scaring them!" He point to the two girls he'd mentioned. "You're scaring all of us!"

"Yeah, none of that happened!" Kiba guffawed, for some reason finding everything extremely amusing.

"But… But I… The G-Game Master…"

"You wanna know what DID happen? You were dancing over here like an idiot when you slipped and bounced your head against the table!" Sasuke was swelling with anger. "You've been unconscious for the last 5 minutes!"

"Oh…" He tried to say something, but couldn't find any words, so he was glad when Kiba broke the tension by laughing his eyes out.

"F-Fear Game?!" He managed to choke out. "Wha-What the hell! Fwahahahaha! I m-mean-hahah-dude!"

"Heh…" Naruto replied simply. "So… it didn't… happen?"

Still not completely convinced, he managed to force his face into a stupid smile. They all said he'd just imagined it but, to him, all the fear and pain had been too real.

How could seeing his friends being butchered one by one be something that his mind had simply made up? How could the smothering heat of the oven be nothing but a product of his hyperactive imagination?

"Teh… teh-heh…" Tenten began nervously. But Kiba's laughter, which rang higher than the head drumming music, was too contagious and it quickly spread to all the others.

Shrugging and wiping tears away from his eyes, Naruto joined the chorus of snorting and laughter.

So what if it had all been too real? He was out now! Besides, there was no way something like that could actually happen.

Not to them.

Not without a reason.

Out of the twelve persons (and one dog) gathered in that room, he was the one who laughed the hardest.

He laughed like an idiot, for an idiot he was, to have believed in something that was clearly impossible.

Laughed out of relief, because he'd finally beaten the **"Game of Fear"**.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten.- I know what you think, this isn't the best way to end a story, but it had to end somehow, you know? We really had no choice._

_What? You don't like it?!_

_It's __**cheap**__, you say?!_

_But they're all __**alive**__! Shouldn't that make you happy?!_

_Ha-ha. No shit! Of course I'm joking!_

_Go ahead and keep on reading. _

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"You forgot!" Sasuke began, his eyes twinkling. "The part about my ankle. That was funny!"

"Yeah… I guess… wait…" Naruto stared at Sasuke's exaggerated smile, a chill running down his back. "I haven't mentioned that part."

"Who cares?" His grin was so wide that even in the darkened room, Naruto could clearly make out the vampire fangs glued over his own teeth, except that he was missing one. "It **was **funny!"

He began laughing harder, almost violently. The others did the same and soon even the music was drowned under their hysterical fits.

"No…" Naruto backed away from him, the hairs at the back of his neck standing up on ends. "It's not funny. How do you even know that?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead he sank down, still laughing, as though it were all too much to take.

His left foot was purple and horribly swollen.

"Stop that!" Naruto croaked.

It wasn't funny anymore.

He tried to back away, to get out of that place, but until then he hadn't noticed that his friends had moved to form a circle around him.

"How did **I **die Naruto?" Ino grinned wickedly at him, a thin streak of blood running out of a corner of her mouth. "Please tell me more about it."

Naruto tried to speak, to tell her to stop, but he appeared to have lost that ability. His mouth hanging open in a silent scream, he could only observe, as though petrified, as Ino's laughter turned into gurgling chuckles while more blood oozed out of it.

What was happening? What was this?

Another round? It couldn't be that. He didn't remember starting a round!

"Oh, don't listen to her!" Tenten's eyes were tearing from laughing so much. Her thick, crimson tears smudged her cheeks on their way down. "Tell them about how **I **died."

Again, his mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out of it.

"Bet they'd love to know all about it." There was something wrong with her skin, it seemed to be getting all bumpy as though she were about to grow feathers. "They'd love to know how I got **these**."

At the mention of them, dozens of the same needles that had killed her began poking out from her skin as though she were growing them. Blood dripped silently out of her wounds, which for some illogical reason sent the others doubling up into another fit of hysterical laughter.

Holding her stomach, Sakura fell to her knees. She was laughing strangely, gagging and spluttering as though she were choking.

"Look at that!" Sasuke point in Sakura's direction.

There were charred body pieces coming out of her outstretched mouth.

"S… Stop…" He finally managed to choke out. "Stop it… everyone… sto-stop it already!"

"Come on, Naruto! This is fun, don't you see it?"

He looked around at the eleven wide grins, his own terrified face reflected on their glaring eyes.

"Enough!"

"But it's so fun, isn't it?"

"Don't you see it Naruto?"

"Come on, Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto!"

"Stop it, just stop!" He shut his eyes and covered his ears. "STOP!"

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Naruto… Naruto…"

He woke up with a start, eyes moving wildly around as he gasped for breath. In a second he took in the metal walls, the dimly lit ceiling and the battered up people around him.

He was back. Back into the Game of Fear that he so much longed to escape.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked, struggling to his feet. "I couldn't wake you up."

"Uh… yeah…" He lied, though his skin was still crawling. There was no point in telling him when it was now clear which of his realities had been a nightmare. "Just tired."

Now that he was awake, he could remember everything clearly. He had fallen asleep out of exhaustion while they took a break to treat their wounds. Well, that is if scrapping lip balm out of the girl's pockets and using pieces of Lee's mummy costume could be considered as "treating".

"Come on, then. We've got to keep moving." His ankle was now heavily bandaged, allowing him to at least limp forward. Still, if it wasn't properly treated soon, it might never actually heal.

Staggering to his feet, Naruto extended his arm to Sakura, whose head had been bandaged as well.

Both of Lee's arms were now bare.

"I'm sorry." She apologized for whatever reason as she held on to his arm for support.

"Don't worry Sakura-Chan." He offered her a forced gesture that attempted to be a smile. "We'll get out of here soon."

He was glad it had all just been a dream… too bad his reality wasn't any better.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten.- So there you have it. Kinda sucky, but please review if you liked it, that'd be awesome! Also, as a special treat, we have added a new poll in our profile. It contains 4 names chosen at random for you to decide who will be our next victim, so you might want to check it out._

_Thanks!_

_**Want to play? **_


	14. Closer

_So… I know I promised another death here, but since our number of reviews is decreasing drastically and I honestly didn't know where to fit this part of the story, I just decided to turn it into a small chapter._

_This is NOT filler, though, it's part of the plot (though I know most of us are only here for the mass murdering fun) and it's completely relevant (or will be in a near future so… just read it!)._

_For those of you who haven't voted yet, the poll is still open and is almost at a tie. I sure hope it doesn't stay like that, because we would either have to draw sticks or just kill them both. I would actually prefer the second option but…_

_Anyways! Please read and review, it won't cost you nothing! We're only 47 reviews from hitting the 200 mark!_

**Chapter Fourteen**

**xX Closer Xx**

"What… in the world…" Kakashi muttered as he stood next to Hiashi.

When Azuma said that the Hyuuga had found something, he was expecting… well, he didn't exactly know what to expect, but he sure wasn't expecting **that**!"

"Akamaru!" Inuzuka Hana pushed past them to kneel next to the battered up puppy, which was sprawled lifelessly at the foot of an old, bent up tree. "Oh… Akamaru…"

She slipped one of her hands under his head and picked his body up with her free arm. Akamaru's white fur had red patches of dried-up blood and there were cuts and bruises all over his body.

With tears streaming down her face, she held him close to her chest. Akamaru didn't move at all, he just kept his eyes tightly shut and he let out a tiny, shaking whimper. Kakashi saw her heaving a deep sigh of relief and smile through her tears as she pulled something out of her vest pockets.

"Poor Akamaru." She cooed. "It's all right now, boy. I'm here, do you remember me?"

Akamaru let out another pitiful whimper, which seemed to cost all the strength left in him.

"There, there." She pat his head carefully, then pushed what seemed to be a blood pill into his mouth.

He had obviously tried to fight back, they could tell because his muzzle was red with dried-up blood and most of his teeth were chipped.

"I'm taking him to my clinic!" She announced, pulling a bandana off a random ninja's head and wrapping the now shivering puppy with it. "I need to help him before it's too late!"

Kicking hard against the ground, she darted back in Konoha's direction before anyone could say or do anything.

"What about you, Tsume?" Hiashi turned to Hana's mother.

"What **about** me?" She growled, too upset to actually notice that he had called her by her name. "Someone's gotta stay here and find them!" Clenching her fists, she turned to look at her clan. Their muscles were tense, ready to take off at her command. "What are you waiting for, move! We'll follow any trail we can, all day and all night long if necessary! We'll track them down until our noses bleed!"

With that she ran off. The rest of the Inuzuka followed her emitting some sort of war cry as their ninja dogs howled in reply.

They moved forward not as individuals, but as a whole. A pack. As the tightly bound family they were.

"We should keep going too." Hiashi forced his already tired Byakugan back into action. "There's no time to rest. Not right now."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his sore neck. Even though Tsume wouldn't mention it and even though Hiashi had tried to hide it, he could tell they were haunted by the same question.

If this had happened to Akamaru, what could have happened, or was about to happen, to their kids?

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Ten.- So, once again, review for Akamaru's sake!_

_Vianey.- Just another quick note here, we are also working in our new story "Loves Me Not" (a ShikaIno drama). Unlike "Game of Fear", "Loves Me Not" is updated almost weekly, so if you ever get the chance, please make and effort to read it, we promise you'll like it-_

_Glacia.- Or at least strain your brain wondering just how in the world they would actually fall in love given the situation they are into._

_Ten.- Hey, what? No! No way, no! You're not advertising "Loves Me Not" in my story! It's totally creaming "Game of Fear" in review numbers, you can't do that!_

_Glacia.- We-just-did… _

_Ten.- NO! "Game of Fear" is better! Don't let them brain-wash you! _

_**Want to Play? **_


	15. Half-Time

_So… I've been trying to update this for a long while now, but the writer's block just __**won't**__ go away!_

_Like, I know what I want to write, I know exactly what's next, but I can't seem to put it into words! I hate this!_

_Anyways… here's an update at last, but I'm not sure when the next one might be. I'll try to post a chapter every two weeks, but I'm not promising anything *gloom*_

**Chapter Fifteen**

**xX Half-Time Xx**

Leaning back against his high chair before the monitors, the Game Master closed his eyes and huffed in displeasure.

"Something wrong Master?"

"This is boring." He groaned, which made them stiffen up in fear. "The players are going too slow."

Their eyes went back to the monitors around them where the hapless players stumbled and dragged their feet as they strived to find an exit that didn't exist.

They'd done nothing else for the last 8 hours or so, occasionally taking breaks for the sake of the wounded and, to be honest, it was getting tedious.

"They're just weak, Master." Came the quiet reply from behind the control panel. "It's been almost five days and they haven't eaten or drank at all. If we combine that with the stress they've been going through, it's actually surprising how far they've gone."

"He's right, Master." Agreed the one at his left. "We should do something about it, or else they'll just end up like our last players."

The Game Master wrinkled his horribly pale nose at the mention of them, unable to keep himself from glancing over at the screen where their broken and mutilated bodies still lay.

That second party was supposed to bring more fun into the game, but instead they'd somehow managed to get all killed during the first two rounds.

Defective pieces. That was all they were.

But these players... oh, them. Even though he hadn't planned on Akatsuki to join the Konoha ninja, he had to admit they made a great team.

Sworn enemies playing together, pushing each other forward despite all their differences and hatred between them. It was impossible not to love them!

But the others were right, they'd become too weak to keep on going. It was obvious because they didn't even argue with each other anymore and if he didn't do something fast, they'd just drop dead at any moment.

_'So what if that happened?'_ You wonder now._ 'Death is the sole purpose of this game, right?'_

Wrong.

His kingdom. His domain.** His** game of fear.

It was fear that he craved, not death. He enjoyed, like no one would ever understand, the unmistakable reflection of fear in their eyes as they advanced through each round. They might be able to avoid death, but they could never escape fear.

Right now, though, he couldn't see it. If anything, the players seemed to be resigned. Perhaps because they were already half-dead anyways.

"What should we do Master?" Asked the only female in his group. "That pinkette there looks like she's done for."

"Well..." The Game Master chuckled. "I thought they'd go a bit further before I had to do this, but I guess we have no choice." He turned to the one behind the control panel. "Let's go to half-time. we could use a break too."

"Yes Master."

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"Come on, come on!" Naruto shook his half-unconscious friend gently. "Sakura-chan, we've got to keep moving!"

She didn't so much as moan weakly as her head lolled from side to side. Her eyes fluttered but refused to open while she willed her jiggly legs to take another step.

"We need to stop!" Sasuke announced, thrusting his back against one of the walls and slumping to the floor. His injured foot had him at the edge of tears.

"Again?" Growled Hidan. "We'll never make it out like this!"

"We're resting here!" Lee snarled as he helped Sakura to sit down. His exhaustion and Hidan's constant bitching had gotten him ill tempered. "But you're allowed to go ahead if that's what you want, we promise not to stop you!"

"Tch." Was Hidan's only reply as he threw down his double-bladed scythe and sat down next to it.

"What was that?" Neji's head perked up at the sudden rumbling sound.

"My stomach." Chouji rubbed his aching tummy, which felt as though it were devouring itself. "Sorry, I'm just too hungry."

"Not that, I meant-" The rumbling sound grew louder. "THAT!"

"Oh, not again!"

They all stared in awe as the walls began to tremble and groan.

"Not more walls." Hinata's face went ghost-pale. "Oh no, not more walls!"

There was a screeching sound of metal scraping against metal as, instead of rushing toward them, the plates on one of the walls began realigning themselves. One layer of plates rushed to the sides, followed by a second, then a third untill, with a final 'click', the last plate fixed itself atop the shiny knobbed door that had been hidden behind.

A yellowish note had been taped to it.

"Ok..." Hidan spoke up after a few seconds of dead silence in which everyone stared at the door as though it could chop, slice, crush or blow them up at any moment. "This one is mine, I guess."

"No, wait!" Naruto pleaded as Hidan fearlessly made his way to the door and pulled off the note. "We can't start another round! Not in our current state!"

But Hidan was already reading out loud.

**_'Tired of running? That's ok._**

**_Let's go to half time for your sake._**

**_We'll call you back when it is time._**

**_So enjoy it... while you can.'_**

"Half... Time?" Lee raised his abnormally thick eyebrows. "A half-time like in a football game?"

"Well, since this is "supposed" to be a game," Sasori emphasized the word. "Then I guess it's only logical."

"So we go through that door..." Naruto stared at it suspiciously. "And then what? How do we know it's not-"

"A trap." Sasuke finished his sentence and turned to Shikamaru." How could we know that?"

"It's not." Shikamaru shook his head. "If you look back at the other notes, you'll find that they always warn us about what the game has in store. I think it's true that they're simply giving us a break this time."

"But why would they do that?"

"I have no idea." He shrugged. "Maybe they really want a winner, but they won't be able to get one if we just die out of exhaustion."

"Well, let's hope they're not disappointed." Naruto hoisted the half-unconscious Sakura on his back. "When they get fourteen winners instead of just one." Steadying his shaking hand, he reached out for the knob and quickly swung the door open.

At first, he thought he'd been hit by a hidden trap. He shut his eyes tightly and braced himself for the worst as the yellow spots kept on dancing behind his lids, but as the air filled with gasps and sighs, and the other players pushed past him, he reopened them to find that it had been only the sun blinding them.

He stepped forward, his legs alive once again as the mildewed blades of grass trickled his bare toes and the cool November air filled his lungs and caressed his cheeks.

"We're out..." Someone said as Naruto lift his cloudy eyes to the raising sun and a shaky smile pulled at the corners of his chapped lips. "We're out!"

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_Ten.- So, like… yeah… that's it. I really wanted to make this longer, but it's either a short chapter or nothing. I'm trying REALLY hard to continue and finish this as soon as possible, but it's not as easy to write as it once was. I blame my co-writers for that!_

_Vianey.- Us?! Why us?! We did nothing wrong?_

_Ten.- Yes, you did! I was so happy just killing everyone off with ridiculous deaths until you had to go saying "Oh, this is so random, let's at least add some plot to it." That plot turned into about 4 chapters of the adults and the Game Master interrupting my death streak!_

_Glacia.- It got you the reviews you wanted, did it not?_

_Ten.- Pfft! No, the reviews are from people who like to see the deaths! Oh, before I forget, the poll about who the next character to die is going to be is currently at a tie (I'm not even sure if that's the right word), so please go vote if you haven't already or we'll just have to draw sticks. While you're at it, please don't forget to review. I'll love you forever if you do!_

**_Want to play?_**


	16. The Wait

_So… I said two weeks but it ended up being a month…_

_Hey, at least it wasn't a year, right? Hehehe… *facepalm*_

_Anyway! Before starting, I'd like to thank__** ElementKitsune, AndThenBurnTheAshes, Guest#1, Shizuka Taiyou, TheGirlBetweenTheLines, ii-Phoenix-ii, MahoShoujo **__and__** Guest#2**__ for reviewing our last chapter. Seriously, if it weren't for those reviews, I might have dropped the story altogether._

**Chapter Fifteen**

**xX The Wait Xx**

"Nothing." Neji announced as his Byakugan reflected his own tired face back at him. Kneeling down, he held his throbbing head, fearing it might suddenly split in two. "There's no exit here, it's all just like a giant mirror."

"A Genjutsu, then?"

"Does that mean we're still inside?"

"Not exactly." Shikamaru tapped his chin. "We **are** outside the labyrinth, but we're still inside a restricted area. Just like Neji said, this place is like a giant mirror; try to run away and you'll just end up in the same place you started."

"So they still have us at their mercy." Itachi sighed wearily as he slumped against a tree trunk.

"Well, it's supposed to be the "half-time", as they called it." Shikamaru used his fingers to form quotation marks. "They were aware of our deteriorated condition and decided to give us a break to regain our strength. The mirror maze is just a way to ensure we won't escape."

"So what do we do now?" Naruto asked, pushing sticky locks of pink hair away from Sakura's sweaty forehead.

"Do exactly as the note says. We have to enjoy it while we can." He scratched his tangled hair, which was stiff with dried-up sweat. "We need food and weapons and, for health's sake, we need to clean up and rest, while we are allowed to."

"Water…" Sakura mumbled feverishly through her parched lips.

"I've got that covered." Kiba's nose was up in the air. "There's a stream near here."

"We should head there first of all." Sasuke huffed as he slowly got back on his feet. "We'll decide the next step later."

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After finally drinking enough water as to bloat his stomach, Naruto joined the rest of the players who sat in a scattered circle under the shade of a low-branched tree, trying to decide what their next move would be.

"Clothing?" Sasori raised his eyebrows as Shikamaru listed the things that were needed.

"Not for us." Shikamaru gestured toward the girls. "For them."

Though it was true that they all looked bedraggled and miserable, running for your life in a mini-skirt was no small ordeal and even though she'd managed to keep her cape all along, Sakura's striped socks had turned into a red and black mesh and her tight shoes, designed for fashion, had bitten so deep into her skin that forcing them back on would be near impossible.

Hinata's tutu had lost several pieces and was now a collection of glittery rags hanging stupidly at her waist. She'd lost one of her sky-blue slippers while trying to escape the walls and her white thighs had been reduced to almost nothing.

Apparently noticing this fact for the first time, Sakura wrapped har cape tightly around herself while Neji pulled off his tuxedo coat and set it over the blushing Hinata's shoulders.

"Then, there's the matter of the weapons." Shikamaru continued. "We have nothing to fight back or even to go hunting for food right now." He turned to Kakuzu. "You call it strategy and so do I. If we all play together instead of against each other we'll have a higher chance at succeeding, and sharing your weapons will increase those chances even more."

"Sharing?" Kakuzu echoed, forcing himself to swallow back an immediate negative answer. Sharing wasn't his thing, he deemed it almost as stupid as Hidan's what's-his-face worshiping religion, but he had to admit the kid was right. "Well, it doesn't look like we have a choice."

Slowly, painfully, he detached the pouches around his waist and emptied them in the center of the circle. Accepting the unspoken momentary truce, the other 3 remaining Akatsuki did the same, but even then it was a very meager arcenal.

"Well, it isn't much." Shikamaru sighed at the small pile of kunai and even smaller pile of shuriken. "But it's way better than nothing. We'll split these up to improve our chances both here and back in the game. Also…" He held out his right hand, in which he clutched a handful of sticks.

"What are those for?" Naruto eyed them suspiciously.

"Survival." Shikamaru replied simply. "As I said, we need to find food, but we also have to wash up and take care of the wounded. I thought the fairest way to decide who should go hunting would be to draw sticks."

Kiba, who'd actually dipped his head in the stream in an attempt to drink as much as humanly possible, suddenly jerked it back to the surface.

"What?" He cried out in indignation, shaking his shaggy head furiously and sending droplets of water at anyone who had the misfortune of being too close. "I thought I was supposed to go hunting! No one else can track down prey like I can!"

"Let's face it!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes impatiently. "Despite what we've been through, we still don't trust each other. Or tell me, would you prefer us all to go hunting while Akatsuki take care of the wounded?"

"We have names, you know?" Hidan mumbled.

Kiba didn't answer, but he made no protest either.

"Wether we like it or not, we have to continue as one team if we ever want to get out of here. Itachi has already survived a round, which means we can change the outcome, but only if we work with one another."

He held out the fistful of sticks to the still doubtful players.

"I want to win." He looked at each of their faces in turn. "I want to **live**, so who's with me?"

There was a brief silence as all hands reached out for the sticks clasped in his hand.

Gritting his teeth to ignore the pain, Sasuke limped to Shikamaru only to find his fist already empty.

"What the hell?!" He frowned as Shikamaru claimed the last stick as his. "What am I supposed to do?"

"But… Sasuke…" Naruto stared strangely at him. "You're one of the wounded."

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"One of the wounded." Sasuke grumbled as he sat on a patch of sunlight to let his soaked pants dry off. They'd taken turns to wash off in the stream which, despite the fact that they were still starved and depleted of chakra, helped them regain their health considerably.

Even Sakura, who'd been withering away under the horror and pressure of the game, seemed to have regained some of her vitality as she tried tending to Itachi's wounds. And even though her skin still had a sickly, yellowish tint to it and the bandage she now sported around her head showed a small blood speck, she managed to hold her ground as she led his older brother to the edge of the stream, clad in her black blouse and a pair of make-believe pants that she'd roughtly confectioned out of her cape.

"What the…" His train of thought was interrupted by the sight of Lee, who was stretching to hang an armful of now-yellowed, yet freshly-washed bandages on a branch next to Sasuke's shirt, vest and cloak while wearing a white muscle shirt that was so wet it was almost transparent and a pair of very (honestly **very**) tight boxers.

Rolling his eyes and sighing miserably, Sasuke turned away from him and laid on his back, wondering if he should feel annoyed or just glad that Lee had at least considered the use of clothing underneath his bandages.

"Did she take them?" He heard Itachi ask.

Sasuke turned his head to see the upside-down figure of Sakura retrieving the blood-stained bandages from Itachi's wounds. Apparently he was now too weak to hang on to pride and let Sakura help him without complaint.

"I don't know…" Sakura's lip trembled, yet her hands was still as she cleaned away the dried blood. "I don't… I can't remember."

Sasuke blinked slowly and looked back at the branch.

Where had Itachi's eyes gone? He hadn't wondered about it until now. He tried to remember what had happened at that moment, but he'd been so scared that his memories were as though seen through a stained glass.

She'd come back, hadn't she? For a moment, she'd been Ino again and then… what? She'd disappeared, just like Itachi's eyes.

Had Ino taken the eyes with her?

The warm grass tickled his bare back. He tried to clear up his thoughts but he was tired. So tired…

A nice breeze brushed his face, making the clothes sway gently.

Swaying, swaying, swaying…

"AaaaAaah!" He sat up with a start as something brushed his swollen ankle.

"I'm sorry." Sakura's hands shot up in the air. "I was just taking a look, but it's worse than I thought."

"Can you fix it?" He grimaced.

"I can't heal it completely, not without chakra. But since it's broken, I can try to put it back in place." She bit her lip. "It's going to hurt, though."

"Whatever." He removed the bandages and extended his foot to her. "As long as it allows me to walk without limping so much."

Sasuke bit his tongue to prevent himself from complaining as Sakura examined his ankle. Forcing himself into using his injured foot to advance through the game had worsened it's condition, despite the previous attempts at bandaging it in place, that even the slightest touch sent a wave of pain surging up his leg.

"Here I go." Sakura set her foot over his knee and grasped his ankle firmly. "One… two…"

"Gaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" He roared in pain and laid back on the ground, clawing at his hair as Sakura harshly twist his foot and jammed the broken ends of his bone together.

"I'm done, I'm done!" She tried to calm him down, her hands skillfully wrapping the bandage tightly around his throbbing ankle. "Lay down for a while and when you feel better you should go soak that foot in the stream, it'll help with the swelling."

"Thanks." He groaned, his jaw still clenched tightly to endure the pain.

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"What the fuck took you so long?!" Hidan waved his scythe madly as the hunting team returned to the camp.

"Shut up!" Kakuzu dipped his hand inside the Akatsuki cloak that he was carrying over his shoulder as a sort of bag and threw an apple at Hidan, hitting him right between the eyes.

"What the hell?!" He began waving the scythe with even more intensity. "I've been sitting her with Sasori trying to catch something in the stream and all we've caught is a shitty fish! You better have more than fucking apples in there!"

"There's hardly any prey around here." Kiba huffed, sitting in a circle with the others and throwing two small hares in the middle.

"I got some lizards." Naruto emptied his pockets, throwing five large lizards next to Kiba's hares.

Shikamaru and Chouji added fistfuls of berries and roots to the pile, while Kakuzu set down his "bag" of apples and Neji dropped an armful of mushrooms over everything.

"I found some medicine herbs." Hinata, now wearing Neji's coat and the bottom part of Naruto' furry fox costume, began sorting through them with Sakura's help.

"We'll split these evenly." Shikamaru explained. "After that we should clean up as well and set out to find more food. We have to replenish our health as much as possible… before they call us back…"

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"Shino-kun." Hinata crawled over to her friend, who'd volunteered for the first watch while the others slept. She knew that his silence wasn't something rare, but even then she could tell that something was off. "Are you ok?"

"They are hungry." He said softly, dropping what at first sight appeared to be a handful of apple seeds in a small hole he had dug at his feet. "They are dying."

Hinata chewed on her lip, realizing that what Shino was now attempting to burry were his own bugs. She knew how much he cared about them, despite being unable to understand his worry for the creepy parasites plaguing his body, and could imagine his concern at losing so many.

"W-We'll go exploring some more tomorrow. "We could find some food for them too." She said in what she attempted to be a reassuring tone, but ended up stuttering anyways.

"That is not going to help." Taking a flat stone from the pockets of his tattered Grim Reaper robe, he began digging another small hole. "My chakra is their food, they feed on it in exchange for their help and my reserves are too low. They have stopped feeding in order to keep me alive, but…" He extended his palm, where the skin bubbled up and several kikaichu heads poked through, carrying their deceased friends to the surface.

Hinata couldn't suppress the shudder that ran down her back at the sight. The years as Shino's teammate weren't enough to get used to it.

"If this goes on much longer, I might never be able to use my jutsu again."

"T-That's not going to hap-pen. We'll g-get out of here soon!" She stammered out. "Shikamaru-kun said there is a way, we just have to t-trust him and keep on moving, we'll f-find the exit soon enough, you'll see!"

"Right." He said softly while dropping another handful of kikaichu in the small hole, wondering what exactly could be considered as "soon".

He didn't know how long they'd been there, his watch had broken trying to find the reanimated Ino away from Sasuke's brother, and there was no other way for him to calculate time. Not in their labyrinthine prison, so far away from sunlight and hope.

Two days… three… a week? He didn't know.

He didn't want to know.

Because the more time passed, the more his swarm was diminished, despite his desperate attempts at keeping them alive. He was already down by a third.

If it continued… if they all died… if the tunnels leading to his chakra flow closed up completely before they could find a way to either escape or win the game, then he would never be able to use his technique again.

Never part of his clan again.

"You should go back to sleep Hinata. We need to get our strength back."

"Yes." She smiled at him, always eager to follow others instructions just to please them. "You should get some sleep too."

"Right." He nod his head, using the flat stone to dig again.

But he couldn't sleep, not without knowing what lurked in that patch of forest they'd been allowed to walk. Not while he feared the moment in which they'd be plunged back into the game.

Not while he was plagued with the uncertainty of losing the trait of his clan, just like the now crippled Uchiha with the heavy bandages wrapped around his eyes.

"No." He shook his head.

He would not allow the Game Master the satisfaction of stripping him from what he, by legacy and blood right, deserved. He had already taken two of his friends, but he would take nothing else from him.

He would not send him back into that twisted labyrinth.

He refused.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_So, Itachi is blind, Sasuke can hardly walk and now Shino might completely lose his ability. Hey, but at least Sakura is ok now, right? That's gotta be something good._

_As always, thank you so much for reading this chapter. If you're a new reader, thanks a lot for reading this far and not dropping it during the first 3 chapters or so, we __**really**__ appreciate your attention and your patience._

_Please don't forget to review to tell us what you think (Unless it's a flame! In that case we don't want to know!)_

_Just kidding, but please be nice. We know it could use a lot of improvement, but we're trying (reallly! XD)_

_**Want to Play?**_


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